The Beginning
by Mina225
Summary: What happened to Willie Loomis during those few days that we went missing ? This is a story about those missing days from the original series circa 1967 and explores what might have happened to poor Willie. I guess I should state that I don't own any of these characters all belong to Dan Curtis / Dark Shadows. A/N: Final chapter up! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1 Darkness

Darkness.

When Willie opened his eyes he was surrounded in darkness. He laid there still for a moment, flirting with unconsciousness, with only the sound of his own breath let him know he was still alive. He was confused, disoriented and scared. He was flat on his back and went to raise his hand in front of his face only to have it drag across something above him. Taking both hands he quickly reached up, palms making contact with a hard surface above that could not be budged. Attempting to sit up he realized he was unable, he had no room to move.

Fear turned into panic. He began pounding and clawing at the satin cloth that was stitched to the wooden slab above him. His knees knocked up against the barrier and panic quickly turned to terror. He thrashed his hands from side to side, smacking against the sides and top of whatever he was confined in. His back was throbbing and his legs felt numb. His heart pounded out of his chest, he had been screaming so loud that his voice grew horse, stolen by the darkness. _Oh please p-please let this be a dream… _ Tears streaming down his face he fought to escape for what seemed to be an eternity, to the point of exhaustion. He felt nauseous, dizzy, his head throbbing and spinning out of control into the night, slipping back into unconsciousness.

When he awoke a second time he didn't open his eyes, he was afraid to, afraid to move, afraid to know if the dream was over. His hand was shaking as he reached it slowly up towards the sky, his eyes tightly squeezed shut and his heart racing. He gently felt the satin material above him and his stomach instantly turned into knots. _No! Oh Pl-Please No! _He let out a sorrowful cry as he quickly pulled his arm down and his heart sank deep into his chest with a fear he had never known before. _Not a dream. _ His mind began to race and he was in pain, his head ached and his arm felt as though a white hot knife had slashed him open. He reached for his wrist and it was wet, he could feel the sleeve of his coat was soaked and sticky. His eyes widened in the darkness and in that terrifying moment he let out a scream, _Wh-What have I done? _

He remembered. He remembered breaking into the Collins family tomb thinking that he could make a big score and get the jewels, wanting to find his way back to the sea and leave that wretched Collinwood forever. Leave Jason, leave those people that hated him, and start a new life far away. He remembered breaking the chains away from the coffin. He remembered opening the coffin lid to find… _IT. _ The thing reached its arm out of the coffin and wrapped its long alien like fingers around his neck, jolting him down to his knees as his chest met the side of the coffin with such inhuman force his breath was knocked out of him. Gasping for air he was suddenly face to face with IT. Willie's eyes grew wide and he began to shake, filled with terror. The other steely hand clawed at his wrist and drew it up towards its mouth. _No.. N-Nooo Please Nooooo. _The thing pulled his arm up and savagely sank its teeth deep into his flesh. The pain had the force of a lightning bolt coursing through his body. He remembered trying to scream and not making a sound as the grip on his neck grew tighter and tighter. He tried to pull away and escape but the thing had more strength than any man he had ever known. With every struggled movement the thing just held him tighter. He could feel himself being drained and with every heartbeat he felt the pulsing of his blood exit his body, a throbbing sensation deep in within his head , until finally he was discarded by IT and thrown into the corner of the room as if he were a child's doll. He head met the cold cement wall and he instantly felt nauseous and slid onto the floor, surrounded by a fog that carried him into unconsciousness.

Willie froze as he lay confined in the darkness realizing with dread where he was. _I-I'm in the coffin…I-I-I'm in the THINGS coffin!_…. Suddenly it became difficult to breathe and the closeness that was surrounding him felt tight, suffocating him in fear. He began to shake uncontrollably and frantically tried to look around for a sign of light. He was sweating and could feel the cold sweat drip down and sting into his eyes. He was petrified straight to his core and then he began to sob and thrash back and forth in pure terror, tears and sweat streaming down his face, pounding at the coffins lid with all of his might. _I gotta get out….it's not done with me….it's comin' back for me …I-IT'S COMIN BACK FOR ME !_


	2. Chapter 2 Remembering

_Remembering_

He didn't know how long he laid there. It didn't matter; there was no light, no hope, and no chance for escape. His fingers were stiff and raw from trying to tear his way out through the layers of silk and wood. His arms were now pulled up tight to his chest. He could feel the silky material that was torn away above him brush gently against his face sending shivers down his spine. The longer he lay still the more aware he was of how awful he felt. He tried to stop shaking, tried to tell his mind to take control, but his body would not listen. The sick feeling in his stomach was even more present than before and he fought to keep the sour knot contained but he could feel it start to creep up through his chest and into his throat.

His mind began to wander back and forth in time. He thought of those hot summer nights at sea with Jason and how the sea air felt against his skin. He could almost taste the saltiness of the ocean and he longed to be back there again. Back to a time when he didn't have a care for anything or anyone. His mind then ripped him from these memories and shoved him forward to Collinwood. How he hated being there, he knew from the minute he stepped foot on the docks that he would stay only as long as he had to. He disliked that cold empty house and even more he began to resent Jason for bringing him there with the empty promise of making it big. He thought of how much trouble he had stirred up, out of pure boredom he began making a game out of being there knowing that it was only a matter of time before he left and didn't care what chaos he left behind.

But now, alone and in the danger of the thick darkness, he began to regret how he had treated the girls. With thoughts of Vicki and Carolyn in his head his mind shot him to a place he had forced himself to forget. He was in a room painted the color of the sky, a breeze gently rustling the thin white curtains that hung crookedly in the window. A white vase on the table next to the bed filled with flowers that most people would consider weeds…but not her. She found beauty in all that she encountered, including him. She laid in bed next to him, a cool sheet barely covering their naked bodies, stroking his hair as she smiled while he slept. He loved her in a way that made his heart ache and she loved him back completely. He remembered her dark hair always tousled up and how haunting her dark eyes could be when she would stare off into the horizon dreaming of the day they would leave together and get married. He wanted it once, to say goodbye to Jason , settle down and set roots. He wanted to have the home and the kids and the perfectly average life. He wanted it because he had her. She was perfect. As he thought of her he smiled at the promise they had, the nights they shared entwined with one another where you couldn't tell where he ended and she began. She filled the horrible emptiness in his heart and he would never let her go. She knew that he was meant for her too, the simplest gaze from his sparkling blue eyes would send her soaring. It was perfect.

Willie opened his eyes, even though there in the darkness it didn't matter, and found himself crying again. This time not for the present terror, but for her and for him, and all they lost. He couldn't save her. He tried but nothing could stop the bleeding and he remembered holding her in his arms and screaming for anyone to help him. They were walking through the narrow streets after stopping at the market when two men jumped out of an alley. Two shots rang out and she was thrown against the wall as if a ghost had pushed her and then she slid to the ground. It happened so fast, the men ran off and two other men chased them in pursuit not knowing what chaos they had left in their wake. Willie dropped to the ground, begging..pleading for her to open her eyes. He took his shirt off and scooped her into his arms, pressing his shirt down into the wound in her chest. Frantically he tried to stop the bleeding but it just kept coming. _My God, please no…please not her…why not me…take me..not her p-please._

He was sobbing now and the sorrow and ache was as fresh as the day he lost her. Whether he would admit it or not he had longed for her every day and moment after that. He grew hard and uncaring. He never returned to his sky blue heaven and he left vowing never to feel love for anyone or anything again. It wasn't long before he took Jason up on his offer to leave.

With thoughts of her in his head he once again pressed up slowly on the coffin lid. Pressing… harder and harder… he had to try one last time but it didn't budge. With his eyes swollen from tears and throat raw from his own screams he just lay there quietly now. _The Thing_ wasn't coming back and he wasn't sure it would be a better fate if he did. He was going to die here and death was going to return him to _her_ and he accepted it. He even thought he saw her face through the darkness. He was lost somewhere in his own mind now just waiting for it to end. His breaths grew shallow interrupted only with the final sobs from deep within his belly, involuntary quivers still rushing through his body.

…..And then he heard a noise, it sounded like a train rushing through his head. He thought for a moment that it he himself was making this noise wondering if he had been screaming again and didn't even notice.

_No…it's not me…it's comin from somewhere else…. it's comin from out t-there...…Its back…... the thing has returned…_


	3. Chapter 3 Escape

Escape

Footsteps were coming closer and closer, he could hear them and when they stopped Willie knew IT was there. All thoughts of the past were now discarded as the terror of his present situation came back to life violently. He could almost hear it breathing, it sounded as if the thing was right beside him. He tried to lodge himself up against the back wall of the coffin, pushing his feet against the side and throwing his arms up over his head. _No…no…no…no…._ and then he heard a loud creaking noise, a noise that cut sharply through his ear drums and the familiar sour knot that rested in his belly once again leapt up to his throat and he choked it back. A flickering crease of light began to break into the darkness and Willie struggled to get his eyes to focus as the torn satin covered lid was lifted. His eyes widened as the face of the thing began to take shape and he started to think about his next move. He would jump out of the coffin; push the thing out of the way and run … run as far and as fast as he could. Yes that is what he would do. _Take em off guard, jump out and run…do it … do it NOW!_

As the lid was lifted Willie conjured up every ounce of strength he had and pushed up on the lid. Sitting up quickly, ready to launch himself out of the coffin, the things hand landed square in the middle of Willies chest and effortlessly thrust him back down. Willie, once again on his back, took both his hands and wrapped them around IT's arm, trying desperately to get out from under its heavy grip. Pushing himself back with his feet to gain some leverage he began to plead with the thing. _Please don't lock me back in there…please let me out…I can't go back in there…I can't. p-please… oh God...please…not back into the dark…you can kill me…just don't put me back th-there. _His pleading was mixed with trembling breaths and tears streaming down his face all the while pulling at the things arm in feeble attempts to slither out from under him.

Then IT began to speak, calmly, politely even, with a half-smile that made Willies stomach sick…

_Your name, what is your name._

Willie didn't know how to respond and just looked into the things eyes with his mouth open but no answers coming out.

_YOUR NAME! _This time the question was not calm. It was like thunder and Willie turned his head away, eyes shut tight and he spoke almost as if he were ashamed of the answer.

_W-Willie_

It looked at him and repeated his name. _Willie…. _The sound of the thing repeating his name made him cry out, somehow feeling that the knowledge of his name would doom him. The hand that was holding him down began to clutch at his shirt, and he was slowly being lifted out of the coffin and being held up against the wall. Willie was face to face with it, he could feel its breath against his neck and he began to take notice of its face. A man, yet not a man at all, familiar almost…its face pale with crimson stains etched into the side of its mouth and those eyes.._Stop lookin' at me_… eyes that bore a hole deep into his soul, seeing everything about him, knowing in once glance his deepest fears. Willie couldn't look away, he wanted to but he was paralyzed in fear.

_Thank You Willie…_ it said slowly…Willie finally broke the stare and was searching wildly with his eyes around the mausoleum to find a way out. Just as he saw an escape he felt his arm involuntarily pull away from his body and lifted up towards the things mouth. _NOOOOO… not again… not again… _ IT pulled at Willies wrist and once again sank its teeth deep into Willies flesh. Willies eyes rolled behind his head as he felt the things mouth wrap around his wrist. It was cold and he could feel IT's tongue sucking the life from him and the horrible pain that swept through his body. Quietly, almost in a whisper Willie sobbed _Please..P-please… s-s-stop…no more….n-no more…I'm sorry..I'm s-so sorry..please... _ Willie was weakly trying to fight the thing off with no success. The pounding in his head grew intense with each heartbeat and again he felt as if his soul was being ripped from his body.

When IT was done with him IT let go and Willie fell to the floor, his legs collapsing underneath him. Willie sat there on the floor for a few seconds, exhausted and petrified at the same time. He began to crawl towards the opening and dragged himself out of the mausoleum. He managed to get to his feet when he heard the thing speak. _I will see you tonight … Willie._ Willie was sure that he heard wrong. If he got out alive there was no way possible that he would come back here. _Never…NEVER!_ By tonight he would be a thousand miles away and this would only be a terrible dream.

The sun was beginning to peak its way out from beyond the horizon and Willie fell to his knees as he saw the day break. He was almost at the cemetery entrance when his legs could no longer hold him up. The sour knot that he had successfully kept within his body found its way out and Willie lay crouched over a headstone as his stomach violently relieved itself, his eyes watering and sweat pouring from his forehead. As soon as he could manage to sit up he began to search his pockets for his keys. The sickening thought that he may have dropped them along the way, or worse that they were lying in the bottom of the coffin made him search even more desperately.

He let out a twisted laugh when he found them in his inside jacket pocket and he began to make his way to his truck. He climbed up into the driver seat and tried to put the key in the ignition. It was now that he realized he was still shaking wildly and fitting the key into its hole was almost near impossible. He shook his head again as if to shake his vision clear and grabbed his right arm with his left in hopes of steadying it. He managed to get the key in and turn the ignition, he turned the wheel as far to the left has he could and pressed his foot to the ground so hard he thought it would go right through the floor. The truck pulled out with a vengeance and he began to speed his way down the small dirt road that led to the cemetery at Eagle Hill. He watched in his rear view mirror as the cemetery gates grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

He was driving recklessly and he knew it, _Faster Willie… FASTER! _Willie was talking to himself now, telling himself everything would be ok, trying to convince himself that none of this really happened. _Just keep going, keep driving until you are far away_. He was so focused on getting out he didn't realize the blood that was dripping down from behind his head and running onto his neck. He didn't notice until he took his hand and ran his fingers through his matted blonde hair and then back behind his ear. When he brought his hand back down he saw it smeared with red and he held it in front of his face. It was then he looked ahead, still speeding and his vision began to blur. He was spinning, the trees rushing so fast past his head and he felt heavy, so very heavy. He didn't notice that he was veering off of the road until it was too late. He pulled the wheel to the right as the back of the truck swung in the opposite direction. The truck met the woods with a crash and everything went dark in an instant.

When he awoke he was slumped onto the floor of the truck. He didn't know how long he had been there and he pulled himself back up onto the seat and sat for a moment in the dead silence of the woods; the memories of the night before came flooding back to him with a fury. He pulled the rear view mirror down so that he could see his reflection and was surprised to see tears silently rolling down his cheeks.. _Shit Loomis..you look like hell. Get control of yourself_. He wiped his eyes, ran his fingers through his hair and hoped that the truck would still start. By some miracle the engine turned and it was the sweetest sound he ever heard. He put the truck in reverse and pulled away from the tree. Willie found himself once again driving down the dirt road making his way to the highway that would lead him out of town.

He was more careful this time in his escape and as he drove down the small two lane highway he saw a sign for a gas station up the road. He better stop there, make sure he had enough gas to get far out of town and take stock of himself, clean up a little if possible. He pulled into the station and stopped the car. He opened the door and when he swung his legs around he realized how bad of shape he was in. His feet hit the ground and the initial shock of holding his own weight made them buckle. Thank God for the mirror that he managed to grasp, he was sure if he hit the ground he may not have the strength to get back up.

Reaching his hand into his pocket he found a few dollars and some change, it was enough to fill the tank and a little more for other things he may need along the way. He filled the truck and walked into the station to pay as he asked the cashier for a key to the bathroom. The cashier looked at him, almost as if she were frightened, and slid the key across the counter not saying a word. Willie twisted his head away from her, took the key and headed to the bathroom. He locked himself inside and got a full view of himself. _My God Loomis….you look ghastly. _Blood covered most of his neck and was on his forehead, it covered his hands and his fingers were raw and swollen. He was bruised up and down his legs and reached up and felt the lump on the back and side of his head. Then he turned down and looked at his wrist. He winced in disgust when he saw it and quickly turned on the water in the sink. He scrubbed his face and hands and rinsed as much of the blood as he could from his clothes. He pulled his jacket off and rolled up his sleeves, noticing that the sleeve where the thing used him was in shreds. He ripped part of the sleeve off and wrapped it around the wounds on his wrist and then pulled his jacket back on. He couldn't bare seeing that cashier look at him again and he left the bathroom keys sitting on the sink and made his way back to the truck.

As he started driving again he didn't realize it was now late afternoon, he must have been unconscious in the woods for much longer than he thought. He was almost to the city limits now when he began to feel something…something strange. A sensation that was not pleasant, nor familiar. A terrible throbbing in his chest and head…the further he drove out of town the harder it became to breathe and he noticed that the dressing he had made for his wrist was now starting to turn red, he was bleeding. He kept driving but the pain started to increase, not just in his head but in his chest too. _What is wrong with me! _He stopped the truck and the feelings continued.

Willie turned the truck around and began to drive back to the gas station, he thought perhaps he was hurt more than he thought. He would go back and pick up a first aid kit and some aspirin .. just in case. As he drove back into town the feelings began to disappear and the heaviness in his chest lifted. He rushed back into the station, paid for the kit, aspirin, grabbed some rubbing alcohol to clean his wounds and made his way back out of town. The sun was setting and he hoped to be long gone by now.

He was coming closer to the edge of town and the feelings came back. Pounding head, chest aching, his wrist beginning to bleed, and bleed badly. He kept driving trying to ignore the fact that he was struggling to breath, trying to ignore the horrible pain, he could see the city limit sign in the distance when his stomach began to wretch and he fell violently ill. He stopped the truck, opened the door and spilled out of the cab onto his hands and knees. Grabbing his stomach with one hand he began to vomit uncontrollably not noticing that the sun had now gone down and darkness began to take over the sky.

Willie was crouched down in the middle of the road rocking back in forth in pain when he started to hear a pounding in his head, a pounding that shook his entire body. He looked to the sky _night time….. it's night time….it's getting' dark…please don't let it get dark…._ Then he remembered the things words… _I will see you tonight Willie… _

_No…it can't be _

Willie was talking to himself now.

_Loomis what the hell is wrong with you!? You are NOT going back there ! I WON'T … I CAN'T ! C-CAN't GO BACK THERE! _

But the pounding was strong and the sickness he felt was violent. He found that he could not resist as much as he tried, the pounding getting stronger and stronger. Once again he found himself climbing back into the truck, but this time it was different, it was like a dream, like he was watching himself and not able to control his actions. A voice in his head was desperate… _don't DON'T !_ _What the hell is happening to me!? Turn back around ! ….LOOMIS! TURN AROUND AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!_

He found himself walking back to the mausoleum and opening the secret crypt, and this time IT was waiting for him….

_Good Evening Willie…what took you so long? I have been waiting for you. You will soon learn that I am not a man that likes to be kept waiting_.


	4. Chapter 4 Understanding

Understanding

The sound of IT's voice sent shivers up and down Willies spine. He was standing on the steps that lead down to the secret room, his blue eyes open wide and glassy as he stared at the coffin; he began to tremble and could feel the sweat dripping down his neck and in the small of his back, the sour knot returned to his stomach.

_Come Willie… come closer…_

It was standing there, black cloak on with a cane in ITS hand, dignified almost. IT was looking at him with those dark dead eyes, emotionless. _My God…IT was waiting for me…_ _Turn around…run..run while there is still time!_ He began to take another step down into the crypt when his skin started to feel hot, it was as if he could feel his blood heating up pushing hot waves through his body and flushing into his head. He was lightheaded and just as he went to take a step down towards the thing all the events of the previous night raced through his head; he snapped back into focus and was fully aware of where he was. _No! Nooo! _He turned to escape the room when the Thing flashed past him and was now standing in front of him blocking his only way out.

_Do you have somewhere to be Willie_ ? The presence of the Thing directly in front of him took him off guard and he stumbled backward, losing his footing on the stairs and fell to the floor of the crypt. Frantically Willie began pushing himself backwards across the floor. When he hit the coffin with his head he turned quickly and saw that it was open _My God No…Not Again…_ Willie got to his feet only to have the Thing rush forward and stop only an inch from his face.

_Willie, you tried to leave today didn't you? And how did that go? Were you in great discomfort? Pain even? ANSWER ME WILLIE! _ ITS voice erupted in the small room and Willie was sure he felt the ground shake. _ANSWER ME! _

_I…I don't understand...? I won't stay… can't stay…I WONT..I WONT!. _ Willie spoke loudly, assertively even, his jaw shaking and his eyes focused. The Thing took another step closer to him, ITS face menacing and Willie immediately regretted the anger he displayed in his response.

_The choice is no longer yours Willie. _IT took another step and again Willie backed away, clutching his wrist up tight to his chest.

_You no longer get to determine your own fate; you lost that privilege when you broke into this mausoleum._

Willie continued to back away until his heels hit the wall. The Thing was still only an inch from his face and Willie grabbed the wall with his hands and started to slither along the cold brick surface trying to move away and get some distance between himself and the creature. IT planted one arm firmly down along the left side of Willie's body; Willie stopped in his tracks and tried to slide to his right when another arm came down on his right. Standing there now, the Thing had him boxed in against the wall.

Willie threw his hands out and pushed against ITS chest to try and get away. _Please.. please let me go..I said I was sorry..I…I_

_QUIET! _ IT pulled Willies shirt, peeled him from the wall and tossed him into the corner of the room where he fell to the ground. Willie threw his arms up over his head, his feet and knees beneath him trying to get deeper and deeper into the corner wishing he could just disappear into the cement and out the other side.

_I must feed Willie, I have been away from the living for a long time, and you will help me. _Willie lowered his arms and turned to look at IT. He looked down at his wrist and back up at the beast. _No…._ He covered his wrist and began to stand up. _No..please don't…_

_No Willie, I need something else. I require something more and you will get it for me. If you refuse to do this I promise I will use you as an alternative and this time I won't stop before it is too late. Do you understand?_

_Y-yeah…I understand… _Willie was choking back the tears as the sour knot seemed to make its way back into his stomach, the horror of the task before him sank in. He knew that the thing would keep its promise and he didn't think he would survive another night locked up in the coffin. He knew what the thing wanted, it wanted blood, and his survival depended on it.

_You are free to go Willie, you have a task to do. When you have what I need bring it to a private place, I will find you. I will always find you Willie. _

Willie felt sick as he watched IT move out of his way. He rushed to get out of the small room, away from the coffin, away from the mausoleum and most importantly away from IT. He walked back to his truck thinking how completely exhausted he was and wondering how he would possibly fulfill the request. He climbed behind the driver's seat and rested his head on the steering wheel. _Maybe I'll just hide somewhere until mornin' Somewhere he can't find me..._ but Willie knew this would not be true. It would find him and the consequences would be fatal.

Sitting there in the silence his mind was searching through options. He couldn't possibly bring another person to the Thing. He might as well kill the person himself, and Willie was not a murderer. He got in more fights than he could count, and some of them pretty bad during his exploits with Jason, but never had he killed someone. It just wasn't in him, even Burke wasn't a person he would want dead by his own hands, and whoever he would bring to IT would be at his own hand and he wouldn't wish that on another living soul.

Turning on the truck he began to drive away from the cemetery, still not knowing how to go about his present task. He drove around for an hour or so, his mind filled with confusion and terror and he found it difficult to concentrate on a single thought. He drove up and down the winding roads that surrounded town until he passed a familiar dirt road that he had taken several times during his short stay in Collinwood. Willie tossed the truck in reverse and then turned down the small pathway.

It was an early Sunday morning when Willie first discovered this place, he was feeling the after effects of a drunken night and was licking the wounds after fighting with several of the bar patrons for getting too friendly with a pretty girl that quite honestly didn't turn down his advances. He remembered driving around and not wanting to deal with Jason's lectures about keeping out of trouble, and tipping off the cops, and good reputations. When he spotted the secluded road he turned down it in hopes of parking and sleeping it off before dragging himself back. He knew he would be better prepared for Jason's rants if he were a bit more sober. As he drove further down the road it was apparent that this was a road that was long since abandoned and the forest grew around it. When Willie went as far as he could he parked and decided to walk a bit to get some fresh air, hoping that his head would clear a bit. He walked into the woods only to find a clearing on the other side.

It was peaceful yet somewhat sad place, the sun shining down on a small little meadow. From that place he could hear the waves lick the shore in the distance and smell the sea air. A giant tree grew in the middle of the clearing, it was old and tangled and the swing that still hung from its branches was abandoned. He thought of it as being lonely and forgotten, not much different than he felt with Jason since he arrived. Willie came to this place often after that first time, sometimes to think and remember his past, and other times to get drunk in hopes of forgetting it. The place was quiet and secluded; only the sound of the sea and the occasional livestock that had made their way to the edge of the pastures penetrated the quiet breezes.

Willie parked the truck, searched the back for a flashlight and a rope, and made his way to the clearing. When he saw the tree and his lonely swing he spoke quietly _I'm sorry_. He felt as if he were somehow betraying this place with the evilness he was about to introduce there. He walked through the clearing into the pasture, must have been a mile or two out until he found a small group of cattle resting. He put the rope around one of the smaller calves and began to walk it back to the clearing; he didn't' realize that tears were rolling down his face.

When he reached the clearing IT was there. He let out a small cry surprised to see IT there waiting for him. IT looked evil, like the devil himself and IT was just standing there with an expression on his face that was not human.

_Bring it to me Willie_

Willie walked the small calf to him, it wasn't until he handed the rope over that he felt the tears streaming down his face. He backed away from the Thing, not saying a word, and then stood there not knowing what would happen next.

IT launched itself onto the calf, knocking it over, and sank Its teeth into its neck with no effort whatsoever. The calf made a low moaning noise and its legs and body quivered. Willie dropped the flashlight and threw his hands over his ears; he couldn't bear its woeful moans and he couldn't stand there and witness the calf being drained of its life. He began to back up slowly, backing away from the horrific view in front of him. Panic and fear took over and Willie turned and began to run.

He didn't get very far when he felt something claw at the back of his jacket. IT pulled him back and Willie fell backwards to the ground. He quickly pulled his arms from the sleeves, wiggling free. He sprung to his feet and continued to run. But then he felt IT upon him again, he could feel the cold metallic fingers brush against his neck, just missing the first grasp, but IT did not miss the second. IT snatched his collar and began to drag Willie back into the clearing. Willie reached his arms up behind his head and clawed at the hand that had hold of him as his shirt choked his neck. IT was moving so fast that Willie was being dragged backwards, unable to get his footing under him.

_You should not have run from me Willie! YOU SHOULD NEVER RUN FROM ME! _

Willie was wildly attempting to get himself loose when the Thing grabbed his wrist in a grip that was inescapable. Then IT severed the wooden swing from its rope. Everything was happening so fast, Willie twisted his body trying to find a way loose. IT pulled Willies arms up above his head and began to weave the severed rope between his wrists. Willie could feel the rope getting tighter and tighter and he let out a cry of despair when he understood what was happening. Still fighting against the rope he began pleading and sobbing as IT continued to weave, tighter and tighter.

_Oh God….No… no! please… please d-don't do this…. I'm sorry… I won't run… I'll stay…. Please p-please don't. I- I…. didn't mean ta. Oh please don't do this…..I just couldn't watch anymore… I'll stay…. p-please…don't do this!_

The thing stepped back, not saying a word, and finished what IT had started with the calf. Willie stood there looking up at his arms, desperately twisting his wrists back in forth in an effort to get free. He was in full panic again, strung up to a tree watching the devil himself feed off of the blood from a live animal. This was no man. This was a Vampire and there was no escape.

Willie turned his head as far as he could and buried it into his shoulder, waiting for the Thing to finish, and when IT did IT just stood in front of Willie, not saying a word. Willie stared back, his eyes wide and sparkling with fear, as he watched the Thing reach for his waist. Willie flinched backwards as far as he could when the thing grabbed his belt buckle, unfastened it and ripped it from his waist in one swift downward movement.

Willies eyes followed ITS hand at first, and then looked up at his wrists and again tried pulling, twisting, anything to get himself free. He started talking to himself _No…no…no… this isn't happening… it's not happening…please Willie… wake up! WAKE UP WILLIE! It's just a dream…a bad dream…please wake up…WILLIE WAKE UP! _ The next sounds heard were Willie's broken screams through the darkness as the vampire brought the belt down across Willie's hips and thighs with the force of the devil. Willie tried to stay on his feet, but with each blow he was lifted from the ground and a fire erupted where the belt had just been. His cries grew weaker as pain and exhaustion began to take over. He could no longer stay on his feet; his arms pulled tight holding the weight of his trembling body.

And then it stopped.

Willie lifted his head and looked his captor now and sobbed _I don't understand…Why? _

_Perhaps now Willie you will better understand your present situation. You are beholden to me now Willie. I will leave you to think about it._

_Oh n-no… please don't leave… don't leave me….you can't…you can't leave me here …PLEASE!_

Willie begged and pleaded, leaning towards the Vampire as IT slowly turned and walked away, but before IT left IT picked up the flashlight and turned it off and then dropped the belt on the ground.

_Oh no please…please don't' leave me in the dark….. _

IT disappeared into the forest, leaving Willie once again alone and unable to escape the darkness.

Willie struggled against the ropes bound around his wrists, thoughts of terror filling his head once again. He hung there in the darkness and quietly cried until he passed out from the pain.

When he awoke he was cold, freezing in fact. The night air began to get damp and he now wished he would have left his jacket on. His clothes felt wet and he was shivering. He tried to adjust his wrists and as he moved pain seared through each blow that was given to him. His arms were going numb and in a way he was thankful, hoping the pain would dull. It was still pitch black and he hated himself for picking this spot.

A sound then broke the silence of the night _Dogs…._ Howling dogs, they sounded as if they were afraid, howling in the night warning each other of a terrible danger, and they were getting closer. The sound threw Willie into a frenzy; he began to pull, tug and twist against the ropes and then in his ear a whisper…

_Wwwwillllliiiieeeeeeee_

He spun to his left and looked out through the darkness, arms stretched above him. He felt something brush against his face.

_Wwwwillllliiiieeeeeeee_

A whisper in the other ear, louder this time. Willie began to spin around in fright trying to see everything around him. Pulling at his wrists and struggling to get free with no success. The whispers continued in one ear and then another, all the while the dogs getting closer and closer.

_Stop it! Stop! Please…. I- I understand! _

Just then his arms dropped down and he fell to his knees. When he hit the ground his breath was shaken out of him and his stomach began to spasm, forcing him to empty anything that may have been left in his system. As he lay on the ground he began to tear at the knots around his wrists with his teeth, trying to free his hands… and then he heard ITS voice

_I will see you tonight Willie…._


	5. Chapter 5 Games

Games

The Vampires words caused Willie to let out a cry and he feverishly pulled with his teeth to get the knots undone, twisting his arms from one side to the next, trying to get himself free. The ropes were wrapped around his wrists and up his forearms so tight he could barely move them. The long end of the rope that was once attached to the tree limb was now flapping around as he struggled. Willie was getting irritated, the knots wouldn't budge and the more he pulled at them the tighter the ropes got. The sun began to paint the horizon with morning and after almost an hour of struggling he was now tearing into the rope, cursing as he lost his patience and tears of frustration filling his eyes. Willie looked up to the sky and started thrashing his arms back and forth in anger and aggravation. It was almost as if he thought he could just violently shake the ropes off. He rose to his feet unsteadily and began screaming in a fit of rage at the sky.

_Why! WHY? I know I did some terrible things but no one deserves this! I was a good person once ya know!? Haven't I suffered enough in my life? More than most! I have had everyone I ever cared about stolen away from me! EVERYONE! Isn't that enough? No one deserves this fate! NO ONE!_

Willie was spinning around the meadow, roaring at the forest around him…

_I won't be your slave, I AM NO ONES SLAVE! YOU HEAR ME!… You knew! …. You knew when you tied these that I wouldn't get 'em free… YOU BASTARD! Now what am I supposed to do huh? _

Willie dropped back down to his knees, his body shattered and exhausted, his bound hands dropping in front of him, his anger and ranting turned into sobbing…_Now what am I supposed to do…. _

He scooted himself back so that he was sitting against the tree and stared at the lifeless calf lying on the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest and pulled his bound hands to his face to wipe the tears away. He sat there for a while, continuing to fight against the ropes. The fresh belt licks were searing hot and the skin that was blistering felt like a thousand insects crawling up and down his body. Everything was hurting and the sour knot still remained in his stomach.

After he pulled himself together he decided to walk back to the truck; his tools were back there and he knew there would be something that could help him get loose. As he stood up he rocked back and forth, each step was riddled with pain and seemed to take his breath away. He fought the pain as best he could but the fatigue was catching up to him. He could feel himself getting heavier and heavier. _Keep walking Loomis! _He walked just a few yards when he felt his legs to begin to shake. He leaned up against a tree and decided he would take just a minute to catch his breath. But his legs could no longer hold him up and he passed out before he hit the ground.

Willie woke up to the sound of his own screams. _NO STAY AWAY! _ And his arms were shielding his head from the monster that was invading his dreams and his legs were pushing down against the ground. It took him a few moments to realize where he was. The sun was high overhead, beating down on Willie's face. He set his eyes on his wrists, winced and let out a quiet sob. _It-It's gonna be ok…. Everythin' will be ok…just get to the truck, plenty of stuff there to cut these loose. _

Willie gathered the energy to get to his feet. He knew he couldn't stay there that was for sure. They would notice the calf missing soon and come looking for it and the one thing he couldn't bear was to have them find him. He would never return to that meadow that once brought him comfort. Now it was the scene of the night's terror, and a place that he would only return to in his nightmares. As he began to walk out of the meadow, the tail of the rope that was connected to his wrists dragged behind him. Willie bent down to gather the excess rope in his hands and then saw the flashlight and his belt resting on the ground. He picked them both up and then stared at the belt for a moment, and dropped it back on the ground. He would be leaving that behind. Willie walked back through the woods, picked up the jacket he had discarded and saw his truck sitting there in the distance.

Tossing his jacket on the front seat Willie drew a half-hearted smile when he saw the keys hanging from the ignition. He climbed his way into the truck bed and began digging through the disorganized tools that were most likely thrown from their rightful compartments the day before. With the exception of some wrenches and a few miscellaneous things there wasn't anything sharp enough to cut through the ropes. _Wh—Where-Where the hell are all my tools? The saws? The shovels? The axe?_ He turned and looked out into the forest_..._ _Bastard…you BASTARD! _He then switched his search to the inside of the truck, hoping the Thing wouldn't have thought to go inside...he would find his pocket knife or his lighter there…but he didn't. _Shit..Shit..Shit…_ He pounded his hands against the steering wheel feeling defeated.

Willie didn't like the game that was now being played and he knew it was a game he could not win. IT would torture him in the day as IT did in the night.

_Why…why did you have to run you fool. Now look at ya ?_ Willie was talking to himself again, and he had no idea what to do next. All he was sure of was the that the catastrophe of night was coming and it wouldn't be long before IT would be calling him to go to the mausoleum, and he would go because he had no say in the matter, and if he didn't get these ropes off he would be going in already bound and even more vulnerable.

_What did IT do to me? What has it done to my mind ? How? It's just not possible…I just don't understand. _Willie tried to find answers to these questions, but the answer was simple. IT wasn't human, IT possessed powers beyond this world and probably the next. Willie turned the keys and started the truck. Driving was going to be a difficult task he soon realized, turning was nearly impossible with his hands bound together the way they were. When he finally managed to get back out on the road he once again began to head for the outskirts of town. _It just can't be true, CAN'T BE!_

As he got further and further out, the pounding began _No…No! _Willie kept driving… and the ferocious illness grew within his body… Willie was pounding on the steering wheel _NO! NOOO! _He was determined to get past the town limit signs. He thought if he could just get beyond town the spell would be broken and the sickness would disappear, the hold on him would be released. But the pounding grew to soaring heights, and the vicious churning in his stomach and chest were too much to bear. He was driving slower now and pleading _I just want to go…please just let me leave and go far away…I'll never come back NEVER! I swear! _ His body was now beginning to shake and he knew if he went any further IT would kill him, and it would be a gruesome, painful death. He found himself once again turning the truck around, _I can't leave….I want to go… but I can't … can't go….._fighting with the ropes and steering wheel he turned around and headed back into town.

He was a prisoner here, in more ways than one. He pulled over to the side of the road once the feelings lessened and again he looked at the knotted rope around his wrists. The rope was saturated with blood, he had forgotten about that little side effect of trying to escape. If he did manage to get out of town he would certainly bleed to death from the wounds that IT used to feed on him. The thought made him shiver. He again pulled and twisted at the ropes..._ this isn't fair, you're not playing fair_.

It must have been about 3 in the afternoon based on the sun in the sky. Willie thought about going back into the gas station to get help, maybe go back to the house, get Jason or Carolyn. He started driving back towards the estate when he began to think about the fate of anyone who would help him. They would certainly be killed, IT wouldn't let them live, and Willie couldn't unleash this Thing on anyone else, especially those that he cared about. He was the one that released the beast and it was his fate that should be interrupted. Not theirs. Not anyone else's. Willie then switched directions and started driving up, up to the cliffs above the sea.

He climbed out of the truck once again and slammed the truck door shut. He began walking when his arms were whipped back in a snap. Willie turned realizing that the excess rope attached to his wrists was stuck in the truck door. He shook his arms again forcefully, _Shit!_ Walked back to the truck, opened the door and pulled the rope out.

He let the excess rope drag behind him and walked a narrow path to the top of the cliff where he could see the spray and rocks below and the sea outstretched in front of him. He sat down on a small iron bench that had probably been there for 200 hundred years. He stared at the rocks, almost hypnotized by the waves breaking against them. His thoughts shifted to the Thing that he unleashed. He thought about the greed that had brought him to his present fate. He thought about the people in his past that he had really loved, and at one time those that had actually loved him back. Those same people would have hated the person he had become now, and he was ashamed. Ashamed of what he had become and that it took such a horrific episode to see it. He was twisting his wrists still trying to get free. He thought about how he was now completely alone. Once he thought he didn't want to get close to anyone ever again, but now with the harsh reality of his situation he knew that if he ever did get close to someone they would most certainly be killed…._no future… no life…just loneliness and terror. _He started to cry, _I'm so sorry…._

He stood up and let his tied hands drop. He walked almost to the edge of the cliff and stood there taking one last look at the sea he loved so much. He took in a deep breath and the smells of the salt and spray entered his mind. They would find him down there eventually, still bound, and would think "Ah 'ol Willie finally got himself into a fight he couldn't win". And no one would miss him.

He thought one last thought of _her _and her beautiful face and the sorrow of her loss ached in his heart. Just a few more feet and he would just walk off the cliff. His death would be easy and IT wouldn't win, he would. He would end his own life and deny the Vampire the opportunity to control it. He took a final breath that was mixed with a sob and started to walk forward.

But before he reached the final step IT interrupted his thoughts… the pounding in his head was back.

_No ….NO! _Willie didn't realize how long he had sat up there and more importantly that the sun had gone down. He tried in those last moments to leap from the cliff, but he was frozen and he couldn't .

_DAMN YOU ! Please just let me go… p-please _

Willie grew angry again, but turned away with his head slumped and began to walk back down the cliff making his way back to IT. As he drove towards the cemetery he grew angrier and angrier, he would confront his captor. He would not cower in fear, he would stand up and encounter him like a man. He didn't care if he died, death was a better fate anyhow.

Willie stood once again as he had the night before in the doorway of the crypt. The Vampire was standing there with its back to him, running its long fingers against the coffin.

_You knew I wouldn't get them loose… _Willie spoke in a low growl, he was shaking and his arms were in front of his chest twisting and pulling.

The Thing turned and looked at Willie _Did I now? _It said smugly flashing a wicked smile.

Willie was furious now and his voice was trembling as he began to speak.

_You KNEW IT! You took the knife out of the truck, and the saws, anything that might a helped me. You knew I wouldn't go for help! You BASTARD! You left me like this on purpose! ….. UNTIE ME! _He thrust his arms out at the Thing _UNTIME ME!_

The thing turned around quietly and threw something at Willies feet. Willie winced in disbelief … _NO! _ Willie gasped and dropped the excess rope to the ground. He looked up at the Vampire… _No! _ His belt lay there on the ground in front of him.

_You forgot something Willie, I thought I would return it to you. _

Willie watched the Vampire in horror as the Thing began to grin and reach down to grab the excess rope that had fallen to the floor and uncoiled down the stairs. Willie pulled his arms up to snatch the end of the rope out of Its reach, but he wasn't quick enough. IT picked up the end of the rope and began to pull him closer. Willie pulled in the opposite direction, trying to get out, twisting his wrists harder and harder trying to slip just one hand out from the bindings, and then the thing spoke to him again…

_It is time to break that spirit of yours Willie._

_N-No…p-please…._

_It is time for you to give in to what your fate holds WILLIE!_

_No… I w-won't…I won't_

_There really are no other choices you see…you cannot win Willie. You belong to me now, you are my possession and you will do as I see fit. _

_N-Nooooo_

It gave a ferocious tug at the rope that nearly pulled Willies arms out of the sockets, launching him into the crypt. Willie was sent reeling against the coffin, and as he tried to get up and steady himself the Thing was closing in behind him, and he was faced with yet another night of unknowing terror.


	6. Chapter 6 Broken

Broken

The Vampire pulled Willie close to him, grabbed him cruelly by the neck and threw him into the coffin in one swift movement. Willie pushed up on the lid of the coffin as he saw it begin to close and his legs and feet were slipping beneath him against the satin cloth as he attempted to get himself up and out.

_My God !No, Noooo! Anything else, please p-please no!_

Willie was pressing hard against the lid, his muscles began to shake as he pushed harder and harder to keep the lid open but he was no match for ITs strength and any light that was there soon escaped as the lid was closed upon him. Willie continued to struggle and tried to pound on the lid of the coffin only to discover the rope attached to his wrists was sealed in the lid and tethered his arms so that he could only move them few inches. Willie tried to pull on the rope to get some slack but it wouldn't budge.

_No…NO! Please let me out! You can't do this…YOU CAN'T DO THIS! Not again! Not like this! Please Not Again!_

Willie then felt the coffin shake, and the pounding began. The whispers in his ears returned, _Willllieeee...WILLLIEEEEE…_weaving in one ear and then out the other. He felt something coil around his neck and tighten. Willie started to gasp and tried to get his arms up to his neck but he couldn't pull the rope long enough. He could feel ITs breath on his cheeks and then he started to feel something crawl slowly up the side of his leg and wrap and tighten around his thigh. He tried to pull his hands down to hit his legs but he wasn't able to reach. The slithering then moved across his waist and down the side of his other pant leg. Willie was beyond panic, beyond fear, he was on the edge of insanity. _It's not real…can't be real ! _ He started to feel something slink up his shirt. It felt as if it was gliding up his chest and then down his back and squeezing around his chest. He could feel something move through his hair down into his ears. He was now trapped with his arms confined close to his chest. He was thrashing back and forth as he tried to catch his breath between screams.

_Please! P-please let me out. LET ME OUT! Make it stop! I can't take anymore! Please let me out P-Please ! I'm going to lose my mind in here! P-Please! If you have any mercy left in you at all…_

The Vampire was standing next to the coffin, enjoying the screams and the torment, and holding the excess rope that was hanging out of the coffin. He had no mercy, no one had any for him at a time when he needed it, why should he now?

_Willie…are you ready to accept your fate? Have you had enough yet? _

_Y-yes…yes… _Willie sobbed…_I am begging you, m-make it stop. _

But IT didn't make it stop, IT pulled the rope tighter, leaving Willie no mobility in his arms and Willie moaned sorrowfully as his hands slammed tight against the side of the coffin. _O-oh n-no… p-please don't…I'm sorry!_ IT continued to torture him until he was in full blown hysterics. The Vampire was knowingly pushing Willie to the edge as IT listened to him begging and pleading for relief from the terrors in the darkness. IT left him there for a while with the slithery phantoms wrapping around all parts of his body, tightening and loosening, suffocating and then releasing. The Vampire finally decided perhaps Willie had had enough; Willie would be no good to IT if his mind were completely broken.

As the coffin opened Willie was lying there and as the slack in the rope increased he began pulling at his clothes, his eyes were wild with fear and his body was shaking. He was beating at his body with his hands, squirming and yelling _Get 'em off! GET 'EM OFF! P-Please!_ The Vampire lifted him out of the coffin and set him down to lean against the wall. _Get 'em off… GET 'EM OFF OF ME! They're EVERYWHERE! Get 'em off me! _ He was sweating and brushing his bound hands against his legs and chest, running his fingers through his hair. He was trembling and uncontrollable tears were streaming down his face as he tried shaking the phantom visitors from his body.

IT just stood and watched as Willie dropped to his knees and crawled directly in front of IT and raised his arms up. His pleading blue eyes were glassy and filled with terror as he looked at the Thing. _N-no more. Please… P-Please no more. Untie me. I won't run. I swear. I-I'll do what you ask. N—No more. P-please no more…_Willie was beginning to break and the Vampire knew he was close.

_You have a job to do Willie. It is time. You know what to do._

Willie's face looked almost surprised and he began shaking his head as he looked up at him. _N-No…No … I-I can't... a-and N-not like this. Please just let me loose. _Willie twisted his wrists; the ropes were as tight if not tighter than before.

IT didn't respond to his requests. It simply picked up the excess rope and threw it at him, and then pointed out the door gesturing him to go. Willie let out a sob and stood up. He never took his eyes off the Vampire as he backed out of the mausoleum. He made his way back into the truck and once again began to drive. He would go to the other end of town this time. There were pastures there and it would be dark and relatively easy to steal one of the cattle and walk it into the forest.

Willie parked the truck and got out. Before he went to complete his task he slumped down on the ground and sat against the wheel. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this and he was frightened at the cruelty that the Thing possessed. His body was in so much pain and the fight was slowly leaving him. He couldn't get control of his emotions and again began to cry uncontrollably. He sat rocking back and forth, pulling and tugging at his wrists, he had never known fear like this, and he hadn't cried since the day he lost _her..._until now_. _It seemed he was constantly choking back tears and every muscle in his body was aching and the fear was suffocating him. He was exhausted and he hadn't eaten in days, but even the thought of food made him nauseous.

He knew the night was young and he was so scared and completely alone. He didn't like being broken like this, he was the kind of man who never stood down or let someone else tell him what to do. He sat there and begged for the morning to come. When it did he would jump off the cliffs and end it, he wouldn't make the same mistake of the day before and miss his chance. He just needed to get through the night and at this moment he wasn't sure he would.

Willie found it easy to guide one of the claves down the road and into the woods where it was dark. This time when he arrived the Vampire was not there waiting for him. He found that the more time he spent alone with the calf the harder it was. Willie looked into its face, into its eyes, and he began to feel a deep guilt and ache in his belly that made its way to his chest. The Thing then appeared from the shadows and Willie backed away from the calf and stood back among the trees. He would not run this time, he had learned his lesson.

Willie was now watching yet another young calf being drained of its life but what he had not realized was how close they were to the road. A pair of headlights penetrated the darkness and he saw them stop about a mile up the road. The Vampire also saw this and stood up from ITs feeding and slowly turned to look. Willie looked at IT standing there in the moonlight, blood dripping from ITs mouth, the sour knot instantly returned and tried to make its way out, but he choked it back. Willie looked back at the car and then returned to look at the Vampires face. He saw a menacing look there now, he knew what the Vampire was about to do.

Willie jumped in front of IT, outstretched his arms and began pleading with the Thing.

_Y-you can't … you can't do this…y-you don't know who is up there! Could be a bunch of people! We should go…they're gonna see us. They didn't do anything to ya…please ya have more than you need right here._

The thing searched around the ground and Willie watched as IT grabbed the rope attached to Willies wrist and began to drag him through the night, closer and closer to the car. _No..NO stop please! You don't want to do this! Please s-stop ! _ IT was moving so fast, Willie tried to keep up but he was unable and found his legs struggling once again to stay underneath him.

Then IT stopped and watched silently as if IT were hunting ITs prey. Willie was on his hands and knees trying to catch his breath as he looked up through the trees to see a young woman standing in the road, kicking at her front tire. Her radio was still on and Willie could hear the chorus of the song that was blasting out and echoing into the darkness "_Thank the lord for the nighttime…"_

Willie's heart sank instantly and he crawled in front of the thing, grabbing at ITs legs and then ITs waist. He climbed up the Vampire using ITs jacket as leverage and pushed against ITs chest begging IT to stop.

_I-I know what you're gonna do….I won't let ya do it. I won't! You can't do this. Leave her alone she never did anything to ya, please… please don't hurt her…. I won't let ya hurt her. Here.. Here you can use me! _

Willie pushed his wrists up at ITs face his eyes pleading in the moonlight to the Thing.

_T-Take me! Ya can have me! Please just leave the girl alone!_

Willie then turned and looked at the girl, and started to run towards her…._Run! Run honey! RUN! _But his warnings weren't heard over the music coming from the radio and Willie suddenly felt a pain in his back that dropped him to the ground. Another blow to his chest and then another to his side. Willie was dragging himself along the ground trying to get to the girl, but IT continued to strike him with ITs cane. Then IT gripped his ankle and started to drag him backwards as Willie tried to grasp at anything with his arms to stop. _No! NO! Run honey! P-Please! You gotta run!_ The Vampire lifted Willie from the ground and grabbed the end of the rope and fastened it to a branch above Willies head. The pain from the blows was unbearable and yet he was still yelling at the girl and trying to reach her. He was not fully aware of what was happening to him. _Run! P-Please! Get outta here! I-It's not safe here! My God please RUN!_

_Shut up! SHUT UP WILLIE! _

The Thing pulled ITs handkerchief out from ITs pocket and shoved it deep into Willie's mouth. Willie started to gag and this unwanted assault snapped Willie's attention back to the Thing. _No-NO! _Willie was choking on the handkerchief, trying to spit it out and turning his head away, but IT grabbed the back of his neck, pulled ITs tie from around ITs neck and secured the handkerchief in Willies mouth by tightening the tie over it and securing it behind his head. Willie continued to gag and cough and he now noticed he was tied back up and unable to get away. _No…Please! _He was frightened for the girl, he knew he was about to witness something far worse than before and he was helpless. The ache he felt in his heart was unbearable because he was responsible for unleashing the beast. His screams were muffled now and the pain from the blows were pulsing eruptions of fire, but he continued to try and get free as he watched IT creep up on the girl in the shadows.

The Vampire was standing behind her now and then reached out and snatched her from behind, throwing ITs hand over her mouth so that she couldn't make a sound.

_No… NO! _Willie was screaming with little effect trying desperately to reach the rope tied above, his fingers just barely able to touch the tree limb. His muffled screams were lost in the night and his eyes grew wide with terror as he watched the thing drag the girl to the ground. IT pulled her long blonde hair from her neck and forced her head to turn, exposing her bare skin to the night sky. IT then bared ITs fangs and sunk them deep into her neck. Willie was shaking his head and pulling his body forward to try and reach her. He was trying to yell _N-no .. No… No….stop! Stop IT! You BASTDARD! LET HER GO! _But the sounds only came out as stifled grunts and he couldn't free himself from the ropes.

"_Thank the lord for the night time…_" the chorus of the song was echoing loudly around the forest and Willie was helpless to save her. She was clawing against the forest floor and all he could do was watch as IT drained her of blood and her eyes grew further and further away from the living. Her body was starting to shake and Willie was starting to cry.

Willie then saw two more headlights coming down the road and so did IT. IT dropped her to the ground and turned to look at Willie. It yanked the rope from the tree and dragged Willie even faster through the night, dragging him deep into the forest far away from the girl.

When they stopped Willie tore the gag from his mouth and began coughing and gasping, spitting the handkerchief out. Then Willie just looked at the Thing.

_W-Why? You didn't need ta … you had more than enough… you coulda just used me…why the girl? She didn't deserve it, no one deserves this…_ Willie turned his back to the Thing and ran his hands through his hair as he whispered …_Please just let me go._

The Thing then grabbed Willies bound hands, spun Willie around, and ripped the ropes from them finally freeing them from each other.

_You will learn not to interfere with me WILLIE! YOU WILL LEARN! _

IT grabbed his wrist and pulled it up to ITs mouth before Willie could protest and IT sunk ITs teeth deep into his veins. The cold of ITs mouth wrapped around him and ITs tongue began sucking against his flesh. The pain returned and waves of agony swept through Willie's body. He fell to his knees and the Thing continued to feed. IT was going further than IT had before and Willie could feel every drop of blood leave his body. He began to fall to the ground as IT drained him more and more. _S-Stop… Stop..I-It's too much…_Willie was lying on the ground now and a fog was surrounding him, the pain was beyond reality and the tree tops were spinning. _E-Enough….I-I… _The fog surrounded him and he slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness.

When Willie awoke he could feel cold cement against his face. He went to push himself off the ground but collapsed back down, he didn't have the strength. He looked around, rubbing his eyes to help them focus. His hands were free and he was thankful of that, rubbing his wrists where the bonds once were. He lay there for a bit, trying to build up his strength and he stood up slowly and looked around the room. The crypt. He was in the crypt. He saw the closed coffin there in the middle of the room and nothing else.

Willie was slowly making his way around the crypt walls until he reached the steps to the door, but the door was sealed shut. Although Willie knew how to get in, he had no idea how to get out. There was no handle, no knobs or buttons or levers. Nothing. Willie searched the walls for anything that might release the door but found nothing.

He walked back up the steps and began pounding on the cement wall.

_Please! Please let me out. Someone help me! A-Anyone! P-Please let me out! Is anyone there? Please if you are out there help me. Please help me! _Willies pounding continued until he slumped onto the floor. The thing had trapped him in there. IT was determined to break him and it was succeeding. Another night like this and he would certainly lose his mind, his only hope was in death and if he made it out by morning he would take his own life at the cliffs.

…_Morning…_ Willie's heart fell to the floor at the thought.

…_Is it morning? My God w-what i-if it's morning? I-I'll be stuck in here.. no-NO!_

He then glanced at the coffin as he pushed himself up against the wall.

_If it's morning then IT will be in there. I'll be stuck out here with IT in there… _

The thought was petrifying. Him being trapped with IT in there, in the dark until the night approached to hand him another violent evening. Willie crouched in the corner in the pitch darkness and stared at the coffin for a long time until he finally got the courage to walk over to it and open it. He silently sobbed as he whispered to himself, slowly pushing open the lid…

_My God…there is no escape from the night if it is morning…P-Please… please don't let it be morning… _


	7. Chapter 7 Defiance

Willie slid his hands under the lid of the coffin and the sound of the wood creaking as it opened cut through the silence like nails on a chalkboard. His hands were trembling and he was holding his breath as he lifted the lid up, wincing at the sound. He closed his eyes tight and turned his head away as he raised the lid until it was open completely. He continued to hold his breath as if it would be his last and he took a painful step back. Willie slowly opened his eyes, not really wanting to see but needing to as he pulled his arms up to cover his neck. _Oh please don't be there… p-please! _

Willie opened his eyes slowly and looked inside. His eyes froze and he stumbled backwards, arms reaching behind him trying to catch his fall…

_No! …NO!_

There IT was, lying there looking as dead as anything he had ever seen. Its face looked like white stone and those hands crossed over Its chest looked like they were nailed there unnaturally. It was a dreadful site and one that brought him to the lowest depths of despair. He continued to back away from IT and cried out when he came in contact with the cold damp wall behind him, reminding him he was trapped. The sour knot that had been haunting him came back and his stomach forced him to double over and send him into unwelcome empty spasms. He dropped to one knee and felt every slash from the belt and every strike from the cane as if they were happening at that very moment. He shrunk down into the corner of the small room, his hands gripping the hair on the back of his head as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs; his body began to tremble.

The room was getting colder and his mind was beginning to wander. Willie sat there in the dark thinking of how somewhere out there beyond the nightmare of the crypt there were children playing in the sunlight, and moms going to the market and workers driving quickly from one side of town to the other. He thought about the people at Collinwood and how Mrs. Johnson was probably preparing for some hideous meal that she would serve with great pride and how everyone would rave about it at a dinner that was served entirely too early.

He thought about all these things and began to wonder if anyone was looking for him. Maybe…maybe Jason was missing him, but he would be the only one. Anyone else would be glad to be rid of him and the thought of this caused tears to well up behind his eyes and the horrible reality that if he disappeared from this earth without a trace not a single person would mourn. It was a horrible thought, to live your life in a way that made people want to forget about you like a bad dream. He never really realized how dismantled his life had become since he lost her, and now there it was in front of him, in pieces and he had no hope of ever putting it back together.

Willie shook this thought from his head and again began to focus on the current disaster.

_No escape…No escape from the night. M-My GOD..._

Willie's mind started to race, he couldn't control his thoughts anymore. He brought his hands up to his head to quiet the voices and memories from the past echoing in his mind and the fear of what was to come in the night. He began to panic again, and in the darkness he began to frantically search the walls for anything that could open the door. He dropped to the floor searching on his hands and knees when his hand brushed against his belt he tossed it into the corner. He was talking to himself now as he continued to wrap around the four walls of the crypt, incoherent thoughts verbalized as he began to lose a little bit of sanity.

_I have to get out! I HAVE TO GET OUT! Get to the Cliffs…. Don't let it be nighttime…No escape…not another night… beholden…slave… SLAVE… can't be a slave to a Vampire! Listen to how crazy that sounds ! _

He began to laugh out loud at the thought of telling someone the truth.

_Yeah I went to rob the Collins family tomb, no jewels there… nope. Just one evil bastard vampire that will kill me with a horrible death if I leave town. A vampire that beat the hell out of me, strung me up to a tree TWICE! Nearly drained all the blood from by body on several occasions and then did the same to some poor helpless girl by biting her in the neck._

Willie was laughing harder now at the thought, but his laugh was dark and filled with sorrow and disguised sobs. He was functioning on pure adrenaline that was beginning to flicker like a candle burning on its last bit of wick. He started to get dizzy and backed into the coffin, knocking the lid shut with a crash that sent him skidding across the floor. His breathing was fast and his heart was racing through the darkness.

He was on the floor now, lying there shivering, wrapping his arms around his knees as if he were a child. He stared into the dark afraid to close his eyes, feeling like the room was closing in on him. He listened in the dead silence and thought surly he could hear the blood pooling beneath his skin where bruises were forming, and he could hear his blood dripping and drying from where the belt had lashed him open. He could smell his sweat mixed with the mustiness of the crypt and the pain that he felt was increasing, coming to a crescendo that could not be quieted.

And then the fog took him back to the safe place, where he was unaware of anything or anyone and he passed out.

Willie began to wake up slowly. His eyes were starting to open and the darkness surrounding him was a reminder of where he was. The stiffness in his body was screaming for attention as he pushed himself off of the floor to sit against the wall. He had no idea how long he had been locked in there, and fear returned knowing that any minute IT might wake to walk amongst the living and to take him down in a night of pure despair.

In one last bit of hope and energy Willie once again turned his attention to the door, pushing on it trying to gain some leverage with his feet on the bottom steps as if he could just push the door open. He was pushing harder and harder when his left foot slipped from under him and he fell to the ground hitting his chest on the stairs. Trying to gather himself he reached down and felt for his ankle which he must have twisted slightly when he fell. His hands landed on the step at the bottom and he noticed that it was loose.

_It's loose … loose! Is it a way out? Oh please let it be a way out PLEASE!_

Willie pulled at the loose brick and slid it over exposing a hidden lever. He wasted no time and pulled at it and the door began to open ever so slowly letting what was left of the day into the room.

_No NO! _His heart began to sink as he realized it was starting to get dark. Only the faintest bit of sun left on the horizon. _There's still time… still time…If I run…I-I can make it._

Willie pulled himself once again out of the secret room into the mausoleum and out into the graveyard. Shivers went up and down his body and a deep sorrow grew in his belly when he realized that in the next few hours a place like this would be his resting place. _Shut up! Stop thinkin' bout it! _

Willie was trying to stay on his feet, which proved to be most difficult in his current condition. As he made his way through the cemetery navigating between the trees and gravestones he saw a shadow flash past him. _Keep going! Faster! _ He continued to try and escape to the cliffs, now crawling through the gravestone maze. The shadows were dancing around him as he kept an eye on the forest. What was left of the sun was dancing across the horizon and to anyone else it was beautiful. To Willie it was a blood red sunset, a reminder of what was to come. As he made his way through the gates he again saw the shadow flicker against the trees, and then a sound that froze him in his tracks… _Dogs…the DOGS! _The howling had begun again and Willie turned to look behind him. _Nothing…nothing there… keep going_! Willie turned to run but before he could take another step forward IT had both hands on his shirt, fangs baring out of ITS evil grin, and began to shake him.

_Where are you going Willie? You seem to be in such a rush? Did you not enjoy your rest today? Did you not have wonderful dreams? _

Willie let out a cry and tried to free himself from ITS grip. _No…N-No let me go! LET ME GO!_

_I know all about you Willie. I know how you loathe the darkness and how claustrophobic and afraid you get simply thinking about small spaces. I am in your mind Willie! …And I know about HER!_

This got Willies attention; he stopped struggling and looked straight at the Thing. The mere mention of her from the devils lips caused the swells behind his eyes to pool.

_I know all about her Willie, _The Vampire started to grin and the words he spoke cut through Willie's heart sharper than any knife could.

_I bet she never really loved you, how could she love someone the likes of you. A simple grave robber, no good to anyone. I would find it more likely that you were simply an amusement to her and nothing more._

Willie was enraged, how dare he speak of her. The rage came from a place deep in his soul, his fists clenched and he could feel himself begin to shake. The blue of his eyes was sharp and the tears began to stream down his face and then he did the unthinkable. In one fierce act of ultimate defiance Willie spit in the Vampires face. The last thing he saw was a dark shadow streaking from the sky and making fierce contact with the side of his face.

The Vampire stood there in the dusk of evening, holding up the young man as he slumped over limp in ITS arms.

_Tonight Willie, the lesson will be complete. _


	8. Chapter 8 Silenced

Silenced

The night had come and with it the promise of terror that Willie was getting all too familiar with. The air felt cold and the breeze that crossed through the dense woods carried a sharp edge as it grazed across Willie's skin. He had not fully come back from the fog and he was fighting to find his way through the darkness and back to consciousness. There was a part of him holding him down and wanting him to stay there forever. He had a sick feeling that ran through his body and there was a strange cold grip that he couldn't shake.

His eyes felt heavy as he tried to open them, swollen from the fear of the nights before and stinging as the misty breeze hit them. Everything was coming in and out of focus and his chest felt tight like someone was squeezing him from behind and forcing the air from his lungs. As he pulled his head up he realized he was on the ground but something was wrong; very wrong. He tried to draw in a deep breath but was not able to open his mouth for the much needed air. He began coughing and his cheeks puffed out with no place for the air to escape, he then realized he could only get short breaths in and out from his nose. Getting more and more aware of himself he knew he was sitting up against a tree and as he tried to lean forward to stand he couldn't. He looked down at his chest and shuttered, finding that the chains that once wrapped the Things coffin were now wrapped around his chest and arms. _N-no.._ Deep inside his stomach came a quiver and his body felt as though it would explode at that very moment. He remember what he had done and his anger flushed heat through his face, but it only lasted a moment as he realized it had come at a terrible cost. Another night in the damp cold, unable to escape whatever terrors IT had set out for him, it was unimaginable and Willie couldn't understand why IT didn't just kill him and get it over with. He again tried to yell out but only muffled sounds came, and then a sound, not his own, broke the darkness.

_Who..who's there? Is someone there? Oh please help me!_

Willie slowly pulled his gaze up ahead of him as he realized he wasn't alone, and there he saw the impossible; a sight more terrifying than anything that had happened in the nights before. The sour knot instantly came back and a lump in his throat arose almost suffocating him. His body froze and his heart raced. He was trembling and his legs pressed him hard up against the tree as he choked up a painful moan and his eyes began to sting as tears filled them. _N-No! Can't be!_

It was _her._

_It CAN'T BE! OH GOD! _

A young woman with raven like hair sat in front of him. He knew the curve of her face and the sound of her voice like it was his own. She sat there, sobbing and blindfolded, bound to the tree that was just out in front of him. Far enough away to be too far to touch but close enough so that he could see her face and her every move.

_It can't be..CAN'T BE! OH GOD! This isn't possible…_

He tried to yell out to her but the Thing had muted him and he could feel the adhesive from the tape keeping his lips pressed closed and silencing his voice. The chains around his body were heavy and cold and the thin shirt he was wearing provided little protection against his skin.

_I KNOW you are out there! I can hear you…please let me go, I won't tell. Someone will come looking for me you know! Say something! I know you are there! Why won't you help me? … Willie!… Willie where ARE you? Willie please! Please come find me PLEASE! Willie I'm scared!_

Willie looked up at her and tried to yell to her. _Oh honey...I'm here! I'm RIGHT HERE! No..NO! This can't be! How can this be? This isn't real! _The sound of her voice calling out to him created an anguish deep within his soul. His mind was rushing around for any thread of reason that could make this possible. Seeing her there was too much for him to bear. He tried to reason with himself that this is only a dream, but it wasn't. He knew he was awake and she was somehow right there in front of him, calling for him, and he needed to get to her.

Willie tried so desperately to reach her, the cold chains were pulling and tugging at his body, his sobbing was muffled and the tears were flowing down his face. Willie found himself once again unable to save her and the wretched sorrow that he had kept hidden for so long was making its way back from the abyss of his memories. He again remembered how he felt that summer day, blood escaping her body and covering him as he sat there in the street watching the life slip from her eyes. He had failed her that day and knew he could never be any good to any one after that.

He watched her sobbing and crying out into the night as he fought against the chains to reach her. He thought how terrorized she must feel and pulled and struggled to get to her. _Can't be.. not possible! It's not her… can't be her!_

She began to yell louder, begging for rescue. She was sobbing his name out into the forest. _W-willie…oh please where are you? _

Willie then saw the shadows dance around the trees and could hear the dogs in the distance. _No! _ Willie watched as her panic grew, she was struggling to get free and her screams were bouncing off of the trees around them. Willie knew IT was coming for them now and his muffled cries were lost as he pulled back and forth hopelessly, pushing against the ground with his legs trying to wiggle himself free.

With each howl the dogs got closer and her panic rose more and more. Willie was searching the edge of the trees when he finally saw IT standing there. The moon was reflecting off of Its stone skin and Its eyes were fixed on her. It walked slowly towards them and started to turn Its head towards Willie as it slinked closer and closer. Willie, eyes wide and glassy, shook his head back and forth as he choked back sobs mixed with pleading cries that were undecipherable.

It stood in front of Willie, reached down towards him and coiled its long fingers through his hair. Its icy touch made him nauseous and sent chills down his spine. IT pulled Willies head up, gripping forcefully on the blond sweeps that were falling in front of his eyes and forcing him to look up. Willie stared in the Vampires face, his eyes flashing in the moonlight begging for mercy. The Vampire simply smiled at him, but the smile vanished as quickly as it was shown and IT released Its grip violently knocking Willie's head against the tree.

It began to walk over to her now as Willie watched. He pushed down pulling even harder than he had before against the cold steel linked around his body. She was begging now for Willie to save her and when IT got beside her and put Its hand on her neck she froze in terror. IT looked back at Willie one last time to make sure he was watching and saw him struggling to get himself loose, muffled cries escaping him.

_No…No please. I can't lose her again. Not again! Please! PLEASE!_

It reached down and grabbed her as she let out a scream and it sunk IT's teeth deep into her neck.

_NO! NO! _

Her screams turned into quiet pleading and one last cry escaped from her lips _I Love you Willie…where are you? _She began to quiet and it wasn't long before she lay there still and lifeless on the ground. Willie stared at the scene as he began to slump down, trembling and shaking as cries came from deep within him, filled with all the despair of a thousand lifetimes and regret.

IT turned to look at Willie, Its mouth still dripping with her blood, and again walked over to him gripping Willies hair again with those long fingers and pulled his head up.

_ Next time Willie you would do well to keep your anger in check and to keep your mouth SHUT! _

It reached down and ripped the tape painfully from Willies mouth.

Willie stared at her and then looked back up at IT and in a soft voice that shook with sadness he spoke.

_Please… let me die._

The Vampire released the chains from around Willie and picked him up. Willie tried to lunge towards her with the little bit of strength he had left, but IT was no use. IT held him back, one arm around his chest and the other gripping his arm. IT was wrapping Its mouth around him and piercing his wrist as it sucked against his skin, Willie hadn't the strength to fight back. As he was being emptied his gaze was upon her, lying there on the ground, tears rolling like soft rain down his face and onto his shirt. _It cant be…cant_! _I'm so sorry…_ Pain again took over like torrential rains and poured over Willie's body. IT fed off of Willie until he went limp and then IT dropped him on the ground where he slipped back into the fog.

When Willie awoke he was alone where the Vampire had left him. He managed to get himself up to search for her, but there was no trace of the events that happened earlier in the night. Deep down he knew there wouldn't be. He sat there for a while trying to convince himself that what had happened was a trick that the Vampire played on him. A trick to punish him for his defiance and to teach him a lesson, but whether it was real or not IT did its job. Reliving the helplessness, the agony and the loss again was too much for him and his spirit was shattered. It didn't matter if it was real or not. Willie would always have the visions of that night seared into his memory and the Vampire had violated the one true thing that he ever thought was truly his. He had violated the only true feeling of love that he had ever felt. It had won just as Willie knew it would. No tears came to him this time as he sat there, he was far beyond tears, far beyond fear and despair.

Willie glanced up at the sky and realized it was still night. Probably would be for quite some time. He wasn't sure if the Thing was coming back for him and he didn't care. He was in a daze now, lost inside himself and numb, nothing seemed real to him; the outside world didn't really exist. He stood up and began to walk out of the forest. He made his way back to the cemetery and found his truck. Willie opened the door and saw his jacket and thought to himself how he was never going to take that jacket off again. He ripped another strip from the sleeve of his shirt, tied it around his wrist and slowly pulled his jacket back on. He started the truck and began to drive back into town. He would spend what was left of his last night on earth getting drunk to numb any feelings that he may have left and then in the morning jump from the cliffs. He pulled into the Blue Whale not noticing the other cars that were parked there. His vision was nothing more than a tunnel and when he sat down at the bar and he didn't think about anyone or anything. He was the only person on the planet.

The bartender handed him a drink, his usual, and didn't say a word but kept a watchful eye over him. Willie wasn't aware that his hands were shaking and it hadn't occurred to him that his appearance might cause alarm. He looked down at the drink and the smell from it graced his nose instantly making him feel sour. Maybe he wouldn't drink he thought…maybe he would just wait there until IT came and got him or until the place shut down and by then it would be close to morning and he would make his way to the cliffs.

_Loomis LOOMIS!_

Willie sat there slowly becoming aware of the fact that he wasn't actually alone. He looked around and there was Burke looking down on him ready to pounce. The sound of his voice brought his present surroundings spinning around and into focus and he immediately regretted this decision. _Shit…Loomis you idiot! _Willie was thinking to himself how stupid it was to come here.

_I thought I told you to get out of town…_


	9. Chapter 9 Freedom

**A/N: This chapter is an attempt to draw back in the original storyline and line up the events of the nights before and the nights yet to come. The next chapter won't take quite so long.**

Freedom

Getting out of town was exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to leave and go as far away as possible from this hellish place. He didn't want to come here in the first place with Jason, and now he would never be allowed to leave. He would die here.

Burke's questions were irritating and Willie tried as hard as he could to hold it together and not break down completely in front of this man, answering as best he could. He didn't want to fight him anymore, he didn't want to fight anyone, fighting was no longer a part of his thoughts, far from it. The violence of the nights before made any type of physical contact unthinkable. He didn't want to start any trouble, he just wanted to be left alone and he was relieved when Burke turned and walked away.

As he sat there he could feel all eyes on him now, and the sweat on his forehead and back of his neck began to itch as he grew more and more uncomfortable. He decided it would be best if he just left, it was a bad idea to come here and he wasn't sure what he was thinking. He just wanted to get out of the cold for a while and experience one normal human thing before it all came to an end. But this wasn't the place, this was a mistake and he needed to go. His thoughts filled with darkness when he heard a familiar voice ring in his ears.

_Jason…_

Willie wanted to grab on to him as if Jason were a life raft in an endless sea. He wanted to just break down and tell the only person left on earth that cared about him what had happened and beg for help. His emotions were raging around like a terrible storm and with the sight of Jason in front of him he wasn't sure if he could hold them back. But when the questions about his mysterious disappearance began Willie quickly withdrew. He could never tell, he could never put anyone in Its path. His only goal now was to jump from the cliffs and he wasn't about to tell Jason about that. He just needed to go. But Jason didn't let up, and Willie knew that he wouldn't. There was too much history there to just give up and let things go. It wasn't until he was questioned about the cemetery…the blood on his coat…the sickening truth about his initial visit to the graveyard that made him finally jump up to leave.

_Rob a Stiff…how could you sink so low? _ Jason had asked. At the time he didn't think about it. Jason was doing far worse by tormenting a poor widowed woman and making her suffer through life and Willie didn't want any part of it anymore. It was taking too long and he hated that town. He figured what he was going to do in that cemetery wouldn't harm anyone, it would go unnoticed and he would just quietly leave town. How wrong he was. He hadn't counted on IT, who would? It was stuff that fantasies and old horror stories are made of. But he now was a part of it, damned to a life of pure hell if he didn't end it himself.

It wasn't until Jason mentioned going back to Collinwood that Willie became nervous, irrational even.

_I don't want to go back there…._

Willie didn't. He knew they didn't want him there and he wasn't sure why but he was utterly petrified of the place now, however Jason was insistent and Willie began to think it was his only way to get him off his back. It was still night time and Willie knew that he had more control of his actions during the day so he decided to do what Jason said. He would go there, give Jason his wish, and then drive up to the cliffs and wait until the sun kissed the horizon.

Once he arrived he made is attempt to apologize for his dastardly behavior. He really was sorry for the things he had done and standing there was humiliating. He thought of _her_ and how sickened she would be by his actions. When he was alone with Carolyn he wanted her to know how terrible he felt, and he meant it. She was a sweet and naive girl and certainly didn't deserve what he had done and after his apology his heart sank when she reached out to him.

_Are you sure your're ok? Because you don't look it…and…you don't act it…_

He couldn't bear to look at her.

_No..I-I'm not ok. I'm scared and I'm hurt and I'm painfully alone, and I have nothing left to live for. Anyone I will ever come close to will certainly be killed. The only future on this earth for me is to live a life of loneliness and terror. _

Willie thought those words, but they didn't make it to his lips. All that came was a quiet answer in a voice that had been beaten down; he turned his back on her so she wouldn't see the tears well up behind his eyes…

_I'm alright..really I'm alright_

Willie was far from alright.

Minutes passed but they felt like hours and he couldn't believe he was still standing there in the foyer. He needed to get out of that house. He was growing impatient and couldn't figure out what on earth was taking Jason so long. He wanted to see him one last time to say goodbye before morning would come. His eyes swept the room and then he saw the picture hanging on the wall. His body went cold as he stared at it. It wasn't until now that he accepted who the thing was. He tried not to look at it, but he couldn't help it. It was staring at him through the canvas and paint and he could feel it reach from the portrait deep in his mind, throbbing there. _B-barnabas_…Willie kept saying ITs name over and over in his head. The acceptance that the devil was this man in the photo brought another wave of fear over him. Willie stood there in the foyer trembling as the portrait cast a spell over him.

Willie was back in his own private hell again, not aware of another soul around him or even where he was. Every memory, every lick of fear, every blow he was struck, every touch from the thing as it sucked against his flesh came at him at once. A wave of hellish, gruesome visions and sensations swept over his body and his heart felt as though it was being wrapped in barbed wire, he was so broken he couldn't take it anymore. Then from the depths of his soul, a place barely of the living, he let out a cry and collapsed to the floor.

Nightmares danced in his head and when Jason reached down for his shirt Willie yelped in terror.

_W-Where am I ? _Willie didn't remember anything just then, didn't know where he was or what had happened. _My God…could it all have been a dream ? _Willie was thinking to himself as he tried to piece things together. There was desperation in his eyes to understand what had happened, and the small hope that it was all a dream was crushed down when he remembered being in the foyer.

_The foyer… I remember… _It wasn't a dream, the nightmare was real. Willie wasn't sure of the time, but it still looked dark outside. He knew it would be morning soon though and he knew he had to get out of that house and to the cliffs.

Willie laid there for a while after Jason left the room, he felt like he was turning inside out, paranoid thoughts and fears were like ping pongs bouncing in his head. He tried to get up but the bed started to spin and the walls were starting to weave in and out. As he sat up he quickly leaned over the bed for the small metal garbage can that he had used as an ash tray and began to heave empty wretches into it. He lay back down and clamped his eyes shut to try and get the spinning to stop, but even with them closed the spinning continued. He was gripping at the bed now almost as if he was afraid he would fly off of it. When Jason came back into the room he was lying still, but was a tornado of shaking nerves on the inside.

_Willie are you awake? _Willie was, but his body was feeling the pains from the nights before and he was having difficulty moving without everything inside himself hurting. He sat up as Jason began to take off his coat, _No leave it on…_ Willie never wanted to take the coat off, he was still freezing and didn't want to find himself without it if the worst was to happen. It was an irrational thought, he knew that. Jason managed to get it off and persuaded Willie to just lie down for a while. It wasn't soon after that Willie began to slip back into a fog like sleep that his body so desperately needed. But it would not be a restful one, his dreams would be haunted with visions of terror and the grotesque horror that the night would bring.

Jason sat across from Willie's bed watching his friend sleep as growing concern over him swelled. He watched Willie pull at his clothes and reach to cover his head. He watched him thrash back and forth and grip the bed sheets like someone clinging to a rope off the edge of a cliff. He listened as Willie would yell in one breath and then begin to sob in the next, all the while tears streaming down his face as he slept. And what were those marks on his wrist? Jason had no idea what could have caused them, but certainly they could not be the cause of his current sickness. No, something had happened, something very strange, and it kind of scared Jason.

It was nearly dinner time when Willie was woken from his sleeping trance. It was Vicki and as he tried to sit up the thought of nighttime came crashing into his mind.

_I-Is it dark outside ? _Not completely, there was some light left and Willie still had time.

_T-there's still time! _

_Time for what ? _For a split second Willie thought what it would be like to tell Vicki the truth. _Time to kill myself... Time to leap from the cliffs and let my body break into a million pieces on the rocks below. Time to leave this world and hope that the next isn't as cruel._

Willie knew he had to go now, he was running out of time and if not now then maybe he would never get there. Ah if Vicki only knew the peril he was in, the next time she would hear his name it would be that they found his body broken at the bottom of the cliffs, and his death would always remain a mystery to her.

As he put on his jacket and began to leave the room Jason appeared, begging him to tell him why and where he had to go. Jason could see the pain buried deep behind Willie's eyes and didn't understand this sense of urgency and Willie just wanted the simplest of requests.

Freedom.

But Jason kept him back, and by the time he was left alone darkness had fallen over Collinwood and the thick tendrils of fear pierced through Willies stomach and chest and reached up into his mind and he began to sob in despair.

_Its too late… it's dark .. its too late… too late... I hear ya…I hear ya callin' me… I hear ya .. and I'm comin'…_


	10. Chapter 10 Buried

Buried

The throbbing in Willies head was heavier now than before. He felt as though there was something entwined in each bend and turn of his brain. It's power over him was growing with each day that passed and the fear grew like a vine around his body that wouldn't let go. He felt its presence pumping through his veins with each ragged heartbeat.

Willie made his way down the stairs, it was no use to fight it now and he would go to IT one way or another. When Jason tried to stop him all Willie wanted to do was to go with his friend, go back upstairs and sleep off the terror, but that wasn't a choice he could make anymore. He pushed Jason onto the steps and made his way back to IT, all the while the fear tightening around him as he got closer and closer.

He knew another night of unspeakable evil was ahead of him. He didn't know what could be worse than the night before. Nothing, nothing could be worse he thought. The pulsating beats were getting louder, a drum pounding so loud in his head, and he could no longer delay the inevitable fear of the night closing in around him. If only Jason had let him go, had let him leave that house sooner, it would be done.

Willie stood in front of the secret entrance, releasing a quiet sob before he slowly pulled the ring from the lion's mouth and stepped into the crypt, holding his breath as he entered. Barnabas was waiting there in the corner for him, hiding in the shadows of the room.

_Shut the door Willie._

Willie did as he was told; he turned to the door and shut it, terrified of the dark that would be upon him once it was closed. He turned around and started to scan the walls with his flashlight. He knew the Vampire was in there, in that small room with him, and being unable to see him was a torture. Willie strained to get his eyes to adjust as he stood frozen and the bottom of the steps, afraid to move. He listened deeply to hear any hint of where IT might be in the room. He continued to scan the walls, but he couldn't find IT and IT said nothing.

_Willie….WILLIE _

Willie heard someone outside the crypt.

_Jason! _

It was Jason on the other side; he had followed him, he was looking for him, calling for him. Willie darted up the stairs but IT came up behind him like a bullet and wrapped Its long arm around his waist, pulling him backward hard, lifting him off his feet and pushing the breath out of his lungs. Willie dropped the flashlight to the floor and it flickered off. Then IT threw Its large steel hand over his mouth, pulling his head sideways in the event that he would try to yell out. Willie's feet were still off the ground and the force it was pressing into his belly as it restrained him was painful. Willie threw his arms up trying to pry Its hand from his mouth with no success. But deep down and in a strange way he was secretly thankful for the restraint, he knew the fear was so strong that in his desperation he would call out, sealing Jason's fate forever. Willy so desperately wanted Jason to save him, to find him, to know he wasn't crazed and that he was in terrible danger, but he also knew that if Jason knew the truth he would be killed…or worse.

Yes it was better to be restrained.

Willie's muscles tensed as It gripped around him and even though he knew it was better to be quieted, he still instinctively tried to break from Its iron grip. He was no match for IT and the feel of Its hand over his mouth was cold and damp and made his stomach sick. Tears fell from Willie's eyes, rolled down his cheeks and across the Vampire's hand. His head was forced sideways and Willie thought that at any moment it would pull a little further and snap his neck in an instant. He was surprised that the thought of it didn't make him frightened; no… Willie was more frightened at the thought of living than he was of dying.

It wasn't long before Jason's calling quieted. Barnabas slowly released Willie in front of him. Willie pulled his arms up, wiping his face as if he was trying to wipe the touch off of his mouth. Willie didn't like physical contact with IT, he was afraid of Its dead, lifeless touch that was as cold as the night was long.

_Open the door Willie._

Willie opened the door and the moonlight put a ghostly hue over the Vampire's face; the face from the portrait in the foyer.

_Barnabas…I- I know who you are._

Barnabas simply nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement and then spoke the same words IT had spoken in the nights before.

_You have a job to do Willie. It is time you went out and did it. Bring it back here._

Willie backed up against the closed door behind him.

_I can't do it, not again. P-Please! _Getting the cattle was the easy part for Willie; it was what came after that was so horrifying. He would watch the Thing feed off of the young cattle, which was a grotesque site and one that no man could get used to witnessing. But then, after the feeding would be done, IT would turn IT's attention to him and the torment of the night would swell to unbearable heights.

_Hurry Willie…get it and bring it back to the hill atop the cemetery._

Willie didn't argue, he turned around and began his job. He managed to find a small calf resting in the pastures just beyond the cemetery. He put a rope around its neck and guided it back to the Vampire. As he approached he could see Its silhouette shadowed by the moon atop the hill. Willie walked it up and the Vampire dropped onto it in a frenzy. Willie turned his face away, but the hellish sounds coming from the Vampires feeding tunneled their way into Willies ears, and the smell from the fresh blood made its way to his nose making him sick. Willie dropped down to his knees and began to pray out loud for this to be over.

_Please no more. Please just take me…let it be over. Let it end. No more…I pray no more. P-please. _

Over and over Willie was begging to the sky. He didn't notice that the Vampire had finished and was now standing over him. IT placed It's heavy hand on his shoulder. Willie flinched and tried to rush forward, but IT gripped his shoulder and neck keeping him in his place.

_Willie, I know you tried to get to the cliffs. I know you are trying to escape me. I know what you were going to do. Willie… I was quite serious when I told you there was no escape, and yet you seem reluctant to believe me. Even in death Willie you cannot escape me._

Barnabas released his grip and Willie stood up and turned to face him. Willie was looking at him like a child getting scolded by a teacher. Eyes wide and glassy, afraid to speak and trying to just get through the night one second at a time.

_ Turn around Willie._

_N-no..please_ Willie couldn't think of a worse move than to turn his back on the Thing and as much as he fought to stay facing him he slowly turned through no will of his own. His muscles were quivering, his jaw was tight and his eyes were squeezed shut. His breath was uneven while fear filled his lungs. He knew he was on the very edge of another nightmarish lesson in some sick play book that the Thing felt was necessary.

Barnabas took his hand and pushed him forward.

_Start walking Willie. _

Willie began to walk and the Vampire continued to push him in from behind, thrusting him forward and guiding him down the path that lead to the rocks and sea below. Once they reached the place where the sand met the edge of the rocks IT stopped him and stood there.

Willie stood with his back to it. He didn't notice that in front of him was a mound of dirt and sand and on the other side an abyss dug deep into the earth. He heard a rip in the darkness and flinched at the sound. The thing grabbed his wrist, pulled it behind him, and began to wrap something tight around it. _W-what are you doing Barnabas…p-please l-let me turn around… can I turn around ? P-please ? _It took his other wrist and pulled it up backwards behind him. Willie felt his arm raise and his shoulder felt as though it would snap as it was being lifted back behind him. Then the familiar feeling, piercing into his veins, he was being drained again. _No…n-no not again…please not again…_It was weakening him so that he could not fight what was about to happen next. It knew exactly how much to take to send him into the fog, but It also knew how much to take to drain all the energy from his body while still leaving him conscious enough to be aware of himself and his surroundings. Willie could barely stand on his feet when It pulled Its teeth out from his flesh and then Willie heard another rip. His arms were being bound behind him and there was nothing he could do to fight it. It's control over him was getting stronger, the seed planted in his mind like an unwanted visitor was getting louder the more he fought it. Before he knew it his arms were bound behind him and there was no strength left to hold himself up. _P-PLEASE! Just kill me! No more! _Even though Willie had been drained of his strength he knew he was being bound again and the loss of control was maddening. The Vampire was all too aware of his deep fear of losing control and being confined. IT not only knew about it, Willie was convinced that the Vampire enjoyed punishing him, almost as if IT was finally getting revenge for Its own fate.

Willie still had his back to the Thing when he lifted his head and his eyes sorted out the view in front of him. He saw the deep opening in the ground and his heart began to race. _Oh my God. W-What are ya gonna do? Oh God don't … y-you can't! y-you can't do this!_ He managed to turn to face it, but his legs buckled, he was no longer strong enough to hold himself up and he fell forward towards IT. The vampire caught him under his arms and Willies face pressed hard against the rough material of IT's coat. Barnabas pulled Willie up and looked into his eyes.

_There is no escape in death Willie, but if you would prefer to die and be as I am I will grant you that wish._

_W-what? No…NO NO NO! Oh B-barnabas no … p-please t-that's not what I want… NO!_

It stood Willie up and took a step backwards. Willie was barely able to stand there, swaying back and forth, but his legs could not hold him and he dropped to the ground. It had fed off of him enough to drain any ounce of strength that he possessed.

The Vampire took IT's hand and reached down wrapping Its fingers around the waist of Willie's pants. It pulled him up so close to Its face Willie could feel Its breath against his mouth and cheeks, IT stared deep into Willie's eyes.

_P-Please…please…don't do this…_

IT then thrust him forward pushing him down into the dark hole in the ground.

_Willie, if you should die by your own hands I will bring you back to walk the earth as I do, beholden to me for all eternity, sharing the same needs as I do. If death is your wish you shall have it, and have it tonight. Tomorrow you will walk the night as I do._

_NO! NO! Please Barnabas …P-please ! _

Willie landed on his back and he managed to push himself to a sitting position as the first muffled thud hit the ground…and then another …and another. Willie watched in frozen terror as IT began to fill the hole with the mounds of dirt that surrounded the opening.

_*Thud* _a clump of dirt dropped on his shoulder _*Thud* _another into his hair and down the front of his shirt. Willie managed to get up to his knees and then to his feet, but there was no strength left there to be found and he couldn't hold himself up. He started to sob as he fell back down to the ground. With his arms bound behind him he again tried to stand, but each time it was the same and as he struggled to hold his own weight the dirt and sand began to fill the spaces around him.

The hole was filling rapidly and Willie was struggling to get the parts of his body that were being covered free from the dirt, it was getting more and more difficult. The dirt and sand were heavy and freezing cold. He was shivering as his body was being blanketed.

He was scared.

_P-Please…I don't want to die like this…not like this. I-I don't want to be like you! P-Please! I CAN'T be… I don't want to die alone here… my God! I'm sorry…_

Willie again found himself pleading and crying, his tears wetting the dirt that was beginning to surround his neck. He really didn't want to die alone here. And the very thought of living all of eternity with the needs of a Vampire, never to see the light of day and enslaved was something that he feared more than death. Another clump of dirt hit his cheeks and he tried to shake it off. He looked up at the Vampire, tears silently rolling down his face.

_B-barnabas…p-please don't do this… not like this… I'll stay. I won't run. I understand. I'll do what you want. I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll obey. Please don't make me…m-me … like you…_

_*Thud* _another clump of earth fell and then another. Willie strained his body up in one last panicked attempt, trying to get his arms free from behind his back so that he could push up and push the dirt away from him. The energy he needed had been stolen from him and he wretched his neck up to get one last gulp of air into his lungs. His face was looking up towards the sky, the moon shining there, but soon his view was taken away and the moon disappeared as another mound of dirt fell over him. He was completely covered and as the fog rolled in his last thoughts were consumed with the terror of waking up among the living, but not as one of them.


	11. Chapter 11 Home

Home

The Vampire reached down into the dirt, clutched Willie's jacket and dragged his seemingly lifeless body out from the sand and dirt and dropped him to the ground beside the filled hole. He was covered in dirt and sand, his hands still bound behind his back. It waited there watching over him until Willie lurched as he gasped and coughed, trying to open his eyes. He was on his back and as the fog cleared from his vision he could see the stars in the sky spinning all around him. He squeezed them shut and opened them again as he tried to move.

Barnabas walked over to Willie and stood above him as he started to return from the fog. IT's face was getting clearer and when Willie realized the vision above him he tried to scoot backwards, digging his heels into the sand and pushing as best he could with his hands trapped behind him.

_No…you didn't. You couldn't have. _The last memory Willie had was being buried alive, dirt covering his head as he started to fall into the darkness. _Oh GOD! Please…tell me you didn't … PLEASE! Am..am I… ? Oh please tell me I'm not…Please don't let it have happened! _

It stood over him and lifted him to his feet, Willie's chest flinched back trying to avoid Its touch.

_You will accept your fate now Willie and I have great need for you. Go back to Collinwood and when night comes there will be much for us to do. You will now live a new way, one of servitude and obedience. Remember, if you should try to end your life Willie, you will not get a second chance to remain as one of the living. You will roam this earth as I do, I promise you that. And one thing is certain; a Collins always keeps their promises._

Willie looked at IT, his eyes filled with tears almost ready to spill from the wells of his lids. He twisted his arms behind him and tried to maintain some sort of composure. The Vampire was done with him for another night and pushed him to the ground, Willie fell on his stomach and chest and It pulled his arms back, releasing the bonds and letting him go. Willie pushed up onto his forearms and then up to his knees and when he turned around Barnabas was gone.

Willie looked out into the water and at the rocks and realized that there no longer was an escape. His heart ached almost as much his body with the realization that he was in fact a prisoner, every right stripped from him. He had nothing. He would wake up each morning and go to bed each night and although he would be alive he would not live. No, living had an entirely new meaning now. Only one thing he knew for certain was that he had to go back to Collinwood because It told him to, and he would obey because he had no other choice. He made his way back to the truck and wept the entire way back, his only positive thought was that it had allowed him to remain human and didn't transform him into something gruesome and unholy.

He entered the great house from the back entrance, hoping to avoid any contact with anyone and no sooner did he enter the foyer Jason was upon him with a thousand questions. He couldn't hide the fact that he had gone looking for the jewels anymore, but he meant what he said. He didn't want to ever go back there. Willie dropped in front of Jason, grabbing on to him begging him for help, he so desperately wanted someone to help him. Jason wanted to help, he wanted to understand but how could he, no one would ever understand. Eventually Jason picked Willie up and carried him back to his room in hopes that whatever strange ailment that struck him down would go away.

Willie slipped into a deep unconscious sleep, tossing and turning as horrible nightmares penetrated his mind. Jason heard a yell come from his room and when he entered he found Willie on the floor motionless; a stream of tears running from his closed eyes. Jason picked him up and laid him back down on the bed, Willie never stirred yet the tears continued. Jason looked at him, he was worried, he didn't understand but something must have happened to him. Jason also had a bigger picture in mind. One that involved getting what he came to Collinwood for. He would not allow Willie to get in the way of that.

When Willie finally awoke he was sweating, but he felt different, he didn't feel like he had the days and nights before. The horrible heaviness that kept his body feeling as if it was tied to a thousand pound weight seemed to have lifted. He stood up and walked to the window. When he pulled the drapes back his head dropped down, it was almost night. The sun would be down within the half hour and he would have to return to IT.

He began to get dressed as Jason came into the room, and Willie knew it was impossible to explain his sudden recovery. Willie tried to get Jason to understand that he wasn't betraying him. If Jason only knew, only understood that he was trying to protect him, the only thing to do now was to leave. He wouldn't have a choice in that either way.

_Willie it seems all the fight has gone out of ya, like you were washed up, dead and buried_.

Jason's words struck right through Willies heart. He stood up and it took everything within him not to break down and sob uncontrollably at how true those words actually were.

Jason stood with Mrs. Stoddard as Willie was preparing to leave. He looked at her and felt he owed it to her, to warn her of the evil that was about to come into their lives.

_Mrs. Stoddard…I- I got somethin to tell ya! It's important!_

But she wouldn't have anything to do with him, and Jason just wanted him out of the house and gone. In the end Jason was more concerned about his own exploits than he was about Willie or anyone else.

As Willie walked out the front door he looked at Jason one last time.

_What's going to happen to me?_

_Well that's kindof up to you._

_No…No it isn't up to me…_

Willie made his way back to the cemetery, once again pulled the ring from the lion's head and stood in front of his captor in terror. It looked at Willie and smiled.

_I have very good news Willie. Very good news indeed! Follow me._

Willie didn't say a word and followed the Vampire through the woods and then with their destination in front of him he stopped as It continued to walk ahead of him. It was as if time stood still and everything around him was frozen. His eyes grew wide and his insides started to turn somersaults.

_What are you waiting for ?_

Willie stood there staring at the old house on the Collinwood estate. _No…oh my God. _ Willie walked through the front doors and shut them. He turned around and was standing inside, looking around at the broken down old house.

_This will be our home from now on. There will be much for you to do. _

_A-alright._ The realization that this wasn't a dream, that this was going to be his life, _our home, _the words rang over and over in his head.

_Well you don't sound very enthusiastic. _

Willie trembled there, looking around this dead house and the dead man standing in front of him. _Our home…our home_ it repeated in his head like a broken record. This would be his prison, and his captor would torment him and keep him alive to live each day surrounded by death.

_Now Willie it is time for you to go out. You know what you have to do._

His stomach tightened and fear reached up into his chest and clutched his heart, squeezing it and causing his entire body to seize. _No….I can't_

_You no longer have anything to say about what you do. Go…NOW!_

Willie turned around and went. He walked off of the porch and turned around and stared at the old house. _This will be our home now…our home_. He stood there, looking back at it. He felt like the house was looking back at him too, as if at any moment it would swell out from the ground and swallow him whole. He would never escape it. He turned and began to run as fast as he could down the long driveway. He ran faster and faster until he couldn't run any more. He stopped and doubled over, his breathing ragged and his heart pounding out of his soul. _Our home…_

He caught his breath and reluctantly went about the job he knew he had to do. Willie guided another calf back to the old house this time, bringing it around to the back. He stood there yet again to witness the dead feed on the living. Willie stood feeling as fragile as a piece of glass, waiting for IT to be done. He stood back once again gripping a tree just beyond the house and felt as though the shadow the house was casting over him was suffocating him.

The Vampire completed its nightly ritual and once again turned towards Willie. Willie stood there, his nerves fractured, waiting for Its next move. It had a look in Its eyes that Willie had grown to know, it was going to be bad. Willie backed up further and further.

_Willie, your tried to warn my cousin about me tonight didn't you. You were going to tell Elizabeth about me, you were going to let her know my secret._

The sour knot ballooned in Willie's stomach and rushed up through his chest and forced its way out of him as he doubled over gripping at his stomach.

_You were going to warn her weren't you? WEREN'T YOU? _

Willie tilted his head up, shaking it from side to side. He tried to stand up, but his stomach had other plans and sour nothingness continued to push its way out of him. It reached down and pulled Willie up by the neck, the twisted knot forced straight and causing a pain deep within his stomach.

Willie tried to catch his breath…_ No Barnabas… No I didn't tell her. I didn't. I didn't say anythin' about ya. _

_You are a bad liar Willie. I need to know you won't tell anyone about me Willie. You can't be trusted. I need to be able to trust you Willie._

Barnabas dragged Willie by the neck and pushed him through the broken down back door of the house into a small room that opened to the kitchen. Willie didn't pay any attention to the rooms he was getting dragged through; he tried to pull at Its arms to get it to release him. _I didn't! Barnabas I didn't!_

The Vampire opened a door and pushed Willie through it, he fell down several stairs and quickly realized he was in the basement of the old house. Willie was on the ground and he looked around and noticed that everything falling apart and it was dark. It came down next to him and dragged him through the dark.

Willie was starting to scream now, he wasn't sure what was happening but he couldn't take another second of it.

_There is a room in this house Willie that will be your home for the next few days. A room that will help you to remember to always protect me. _The Vampire opened a door, it was heavy and Willie was tossed through it and then the door was slammed shut and locked. Willie lunged at the door, it was heavy with a bared window as the only view out of the tiny room. It was some kind of cell that would now be used to keep Willie a prisoner deep in the belly of the house. Willie grabbed the bars of the room, _Barnabas I didn't tell! I SWEAR! _

_Shut up Willie! _It then turned around and walked back up the stairs leaving Willie as he was screaming for Barnabas to come back.

_You can't leave me in here! Please come back! Barnabas PLEASE! COME BACK! _Willie gripped the bars and once again found himself with tears streaming down his face. _Please come back…please don't leave me…don't leave me! _

Willie released his grip from the bars and slid down the door. He sat there, his hands running through his hair and started to feel the pressure in his chest start to grow and he was completely helpless, he felt like he was going to lose his mind. He needed to get control of himself. Flashes of the nights before began to run like broken movie strips, piecing together fragments of memories making one terrifying montage, one horrifying image after the next. The pressure increased, he sat rocking back and forth, gripping his hands together behind his neck and running them back and forth from his neck to his forehead. A cold feeling took over and he began to shake and the sobbing rose to new heights.

_NO…NO...no no no... our new home…my God…home…_


	12. Chapter 12 Fire

__Fire

_Home…home…_

Willie sat crouched at the door; his head folded into his arms and repeated the word over and over. His whispers filled with anguish at the thought of this being his home. Eventually he slid himself up to a standing position; his body was still racked with pain providing a grim reminder from the nights before. He began to feel his way around the small room and was able to determine that the room was bricked with a small table and a cot lying against the wall. He felt across the table and his hands brushed over something small, cardboard _A matchbook! _Willie fumbled with his fingers to open the book and pull one of the matches out. With shaking hands he carefully scraped it against the back and lit the match. Slowly he used it to look around the room. The room was small and apart from the small cot and table there was nothing else that he could see. He walked slowly into the corners of the room in hopes to find something that he could lite, the thought of being in the dark terrified him.

_Ouch.. Shit! _The match burned down to his fingers, stinging them where it made contact, and went out allowing the darkness to engulf the room once again. _Where… where are they…shit…where ARE THEY? _Willie found his way back to the small table and frantically began searching with his hands for the little book. _Ah ha!_ Once he found them he counted them carefully. _5 left. _ His heart was heavy, that wouldn't last long. No not long at all. He opened the matchbook up again and struck another. Frantically he began to search the room again trying to move slow enough so that the match would not blow out. _Nothing…NOTHING! _Willie continued to search and then again the match fizzled out and darkness swallowed him. His heart was pounding hard as he grabbed for another match, but just as he was going to pull it from the book he stopped. There were only four left, once they were all gone he would have no hope of light and that was not a pleasant thought. He would save them for now and deal with the darkness, somehow feeling better that if he needed to he could lite the room.

Willie put the remaining matches in his pocket and fumbled his way up on the cot. He pulled himself up so that he sat with is back tight up against the brick wall. It was terribly cold in the room and the silence was almost maddening. He started to lose control again and lay down on the cot, pulling his legs tight up to his chest. Soft sobs started to roll in again and Willie was thankful when the fog blanked him and took him down into unconsciousness.

_Willie…_

Willie jumped awake, his scream echoing around the small room.

_Willie…_

_Oh Please… please no… _Willie reached into his pocket, shaking hands searching frantically for the matches. He ripped one off and stuck the match against the back of the cardboard. _Come on! Please!_ He struck it again…and again… and finally it lit and cast a glow around the room. _Where…where ARE you? _ As he lit up one corner of the room as the others would go dark, he went from one corner to the other…nothing.

_Willie..._

Willie spun around again _Please stop! STOP IT! _…_ SHIT!_ The match burned out and again the darkness painted the room. Willie pulled open the match book and pulled out another one. He lit it and as the glow entered the room shadows began to dance on the walls. Willie stood in the middle of the small room, flickers of light licking the walls as the flashes of shadows brushed past him.

_Willie…_

_No…no no no…_ The match fizzled out bringing back the darkness. Willie grabbed the bars to the door and began to plead in vain for someone to help as something brushed up against his head, and then again on his cheek.

_PLEASE LET ME OUT! PLEASE! … _

Another brush flushed against his face and then on his neck. He began to spin and with trembling hands reached once again for the match book. As he grabbed for it the book slipped from his fingers and dropped down onto the floor. _No…Shit no.._ Willie dropped to the floor and searched with his hands in the darkness for the book and once he found them he pushed them deep into his pocket just before he heard it call to him again.

_Willie… it's time._

The words grew louder, and the dogs were back making their hideous sounds. Willie was then yanked up by the back of his coat and placed roughly onto the cot. He tried to fight against the phantom in the room but it held him down, placing Its hand directly on his chest and pushing down hard. IT pulled his wrist up and the familiar pain coursed through Willie's body. _No…please…let me go…please let me go! _His pleading turned into whispers as he was drained and the pain took over his body. _Please…_ His head dropped back and his body went limp as he sunk into the cot, all the fight drained from him as the fog rolled in to claim him once again.

Willie rolled his eyes open. His head was pounding and he was on the floor. The room spun into focus and he was confused and unsure of his surroundings. He was no longer in the desolate cell, he was in a room with furniture tossed around and piled in each of the corners. There were cob webs covering every corner and a small iron bed in the middle of the room. There was a fireplace on one side and a small round window at the top of the wall above the bed. There was a pile of broken mirrors, picture frames, and a stack of portraits in various degrees of decay sitting on the bed. Piled near the door were bed sheets and covers that looked as though they were disintegrating before his eyes. The room was filthy.

_Where the hell….hello? Hello? _Willie struggled to push himself up from the floor, the effects of the latest feeding not fully worn off. His head was still fuzzy and the pain still coursed through his veins. He made his way to the door, tripping over a pile of rusted out candlesticks. He grabbed the door knob and turned.

_Locked! No! I-It's … locked… Hello? HELLO ? Is anyone there? Is someone there ? Let me out! Hello ? _

Willie began to pound on the door with his hands. _LET ME OUT! P-Please !_

No one answered his calls and Willie finally stopped and began assessing his surroundings, trying to get his bearings. The room was a tossed mess and looked as though it was untouched for a hundred years. Dirt and cobwebs everywhere, and broken furniture and odds and ends piled into every corner of the room. He climbed up onto the bed trying to get a view out the small window that was located high up on the wall but all he could see out of it was tree limbs and a partial roof. _Shit._

Willie walked around to the tossed chairs and various stools that were stacked in one of the corners and out of pure frustration and rage he picked one up and slammed it into the wall, splintering it into a thousand little pieces. He picked up a second one and fighting through the aches and bruises he tossed a second one against the door. _LET ME OUT! DAMNIT LET ME OUT! _He picked up a small table lifted it above his head and again threw it with all the force left in him. _You can't keep me here! I am a grown man for God's sake! You can't lock me up in here! _Another small table followed, and then several candlesticks whipped through the air.

And then the doorknob began to turn.

Willie stood frozen, staring at the doorknob as it slowly rotated. When he heard the key turn in the lock he backed up into the shadows of the room as far away from the door as he could manage.

_Where are you? Willie come out. _ The Vampire stood in the doorway, Its shadow cast across the floor as It spoke to Willie in a voice that was calm. Willie slowly emerged from the corner of the room, gripping his wrist to his chest, his stare cast down upon the damaged wooden floor boards. He did not want to look at IT.

_There you are…come…come closer Willie. We have much to talk about. _

Willie moved a few feet closer, making sure to remain out of arms reach. In a low whispered voice he spoke to IT as the Vampire began to circle around him.

_W-what…what do you want from me? Can't you please just let me go? Please... Let me go._

It continued to walk around him. Willies voice grew more and more broken as he spoke to IT, continuing to keep his head fiercely focused to the floor boards.

_I-I won't bother anyone here. I just wanna leave. Please let me leave. I can't…c-can't do this. Can't. What do you want from me? _Willie started to tremble, nervously standing there as he was being circled. In a louder voice that shook with complete fear and anger he spoke…_Barnabas….what do you WANT from me?_

It stopped in front of him reached Its arm out and grabbed Willie by the neck.

_Look at me Willie. LOOK AT ME! _ Willie slowly raised his eyes to meet the Vampires. _This will be your room Willie. This will be the one place in this world that you will call your own. You will clean this room , it needs much repair, and when you have finished you will begin repair on the rest of the house. During the day you protect this house…you will protect me. _

Willie stared, eyes wide listening to the Vampire speak, tears swelling in his eyes and staining his cheeks.

_You will continue to protect me for the rest of your days Willie. Should you try to leave town without my approval you will be killed and I will bring you back as I am, and you will continue to be beholden to me for all eternity. If you should try and end your life I will bring you back. If you betray me you will be punished. If you do not protect me you will suffer a fate fare worse than death. Do you understand? _It released Its grip and pushed Willie to the ground.

Willie said nothing. He lay there there in the middle of the room and looked around.

_DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?_

Willie looked back at It, his eyes wide and glassy as he tried to choke back a sob, and in a low voice responded.._. I-I can't. Please… Barnabas let me go._

It looked back at him, scowling and in a low growl the Vampire responded. _You can and you WILL! Willie you will not leave your room until it is to my satisfaction. I suggest you get started. If you do not I will deliver a punishment that will pale in comparison to the others. _It turned around and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him as Willie lunged towards it. Willie grabbed on the doorknob, but It was already locked and he found himself once again trapped within. He pounded at the door and tried shaking the door knob with no results.

Willie looked out the small window and could tell it was dark and he was so cold. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the match book. _2 left… _He walked to the fireplace and emptied and cleared a path around it. He filled it with the fragments of furniture that he had broken and stuffed one of the old rotted sheets beneath it. Willie then pulled out a match and dragged it against the back of the matchbook. The tiny flame illuminated the small space in front of him as he bent down and started the sheets in the fireplace on fire. The sheets lit up in an instant and the furniture began to burn. At least tonight he would have a fire which would bring him not only light but warmth.

He stood in front of the glowing fire combing his hand through his hair and thinking of what to do, but in the back of his head he knew It would be coming back for him, coming back to feed upon him again. The sour knot grew in his belly and he knew the only other fate would be one worse than death. He looked at the small bed and the piles of rotted wood and filth that covered the room. The growing realization that this bed would be his to sleep in and that he would be at the mercy of Barnabas Collins made him nauseous. He would spend the rest of his life alone with a secret that would consume his days and haunt his nights.

Willie forced the sour knot back down and looked at the room, knowing the horrors Barnabas was capable of and that It would bring hell down upon him if he didn't do as he was told. He started with the bed, combing through the rotted pictures and frames piled on it. Anything he could burn he did, and he picked one corner of the room to put everything else that would need to be thrown out. He put the furniture that could be salvaged into another corner and soon the room had some sense of order to it. He stacked all of the furniture that was too far gone next to the fireplace; this would be his fuel for the evening. He walked over to the rotted sheets and tore them into pieces. He then used these to wipe down the cobwebs and what seemed like a hundred years of dirt and grime.

Hours passed by and he was mildly distracted with having a task to do, but when his body could no longer continue and exhaustion set into his bones the reality of his situation hit him once again. The fire was still glowing bringing him some warmth and he sat on the bed wondering what time it was and how long he had been in there. The sounds of the fire crackling were suddenly interrupted when he heard a key turn in the lock and the door began to open.

Willie pushed back up against the iron head board as he gripped his wrist and pulled it tight against his chest. As It entered the room It was quickly upon Willie, fresh crimson stains in the corner of the Vampires mouth. It reached out Its long fingers and threaded them through Willies hair, gripping tightly. Willie pushed himself up against the back of the bed, eyes wide and glassy as he was forced to look up at the Thing.

_No…Not again…please not again._


	13. Chapter 13 Mistake

**A/N: I think there will be one more chapter after this one. I have already started the second story with Willie and will be posting that one as soon as this one is complete. Just a note there is a little more aggressive swearing in this chapter. **

Mistake

Willie stared up at Its face. It was pale, almost gray, and Its eyes were void of any emotion, any life. Its mouth was stained a red that was dark crimson and remains of blood still dripped down Its face and neck.

_No please don't … please Barnabas don't do this... I'm going to lose my mind…please. _Willie tried to push against the iron hand that was weaved in and out of his hair, trying to get loose. The Vampire took Its other hand It gripped Willie by the waist and pulled him upwards towards It. He was pinned there, unable to get free.

_W-what is it?...my God you can't do this…_

It stared at him for a moment and then picked him up by the waist of his pants and his hair and threw him into the corner of the room against the debris that was stacked there. Willie lay there in the corner in shock, blood dripping from behind his ear where his head hit the broken wooden furniture. Willie tried to stand up but as he did the room began to tilt left and then right, he tried to grab onto the wall but it kept spinning out of reach and he fell back down to the ground. Willie saw the door twisting against the wall and began to crawl towards it to get out, but the floor seemed to drop out from under him and the Vampire pulled him from behind and dragged him back into the room and threw him onto the bed. IT grabbed the strips of material from the sheets and pulled Willies arms down and weaved the material through them. Willie watched his arms and began to have flashbacks of that dreadful night in the woods. He tried to twist and slide out from IT's grip, but found that he couldn't keep his bearings. The room continued to spin on its axis, the walls swelling inward and sideways. It made him nauseous.

_Barnabas no.. please! What is it? Please! What's wrong? I-I'm going to be sick…please… _

It then secured his arms to the top of the bed so that Willie could not escape. Willie looked around wildly, IT was standing on the bed now crouching down and staring into his face. It took one of It's long fingers and dragged it through the trail of blood dripping from behind Willies ear and down his neck. Willie skin began to crawl with the contact and he shrunk away from It's touch, pulling his arms tight, as the Vampire licked his finger. The site instantly caused the sour knot to rise up and leap from Willie's stomach and send him into involuntary spasms as he wretched emptiness over the side of the bed, pulling his arms tight, the room continued to spin.

_WHAT ARE YOU BURNING? WILLIE ? WHAT ARE YOU BURNING?_

Willie continued to spasm as he heard It's question. _Burning? _Willie looked at the fireplace and then back at the Vampire. In that moment he thought in amazement how civilized the Thing could look one moment and how monstrous it looked right now. Willie tried to answer in between the unwanted wrenching of his stomach.

_I-I…Broken furniture Barnabas. A-All broken and rotted and no good. I-I needed fire Barnabas and light so that I could see to clean up the room. It was all old and beyond repair… I- _His stomach sent him into another round of spasms, his arms which were still pulled tight above him began to ache as his spasms lurched him violently forwards.

Willie's mind began to race and the realization then came to him. _Oh my God…it's all HIS furniture. This house belonged to him, this furniture belonged to him. The pictures, the frames…everything…his. This was…IS his house. My God…_

_WILLIE it was not YOURS to burn. And the pictures and frames? What of the small rocking chair? _

The rocking chair, yes Willie remembered that too. He threw that against the door, was it broken before he threw it? He didn't remember, but now it was long gone, ashes at the bottom of the fireplace. Barnabas knew everything in this room, every piece of furniture that was in here.

_Barnabas…I – I didn't know. It's a mistake Barnabas..and honest mistake! I-I just assumed if it was broken it was—_

_TO BE REPAIRED! NOT TO BE BURNED!_

Willie sat there still tethered to the bed, his stomach finally released him as sweat dripped down the back of his neck and blood still continued to run from behind his ear. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing. It came closer to him and in a single motion struck Willie across the face with It's steely hand. Willie felt something begin to drip down his chin from the corner of his mouth and the Vampire came closer. The smell of fresh blood filled the air mixed with the smell of the fireplace. It leaned down and again wiped It's finger down Willie's chin. It stared at the crimson dripped on Its finger and then wiped it on Its lips and licked them, all the while Willie watching in horror as he barely held on to consciousness.

_Barnabas please…I didn't know…I-I didn't… Oh My God! Please.._ Willie started to shake; he thought he might be losing his mind at this very moment. He was sobbing, pulling at his wrists, terrified and out of control. It stood there watching him, and Willie was no longer aware of anything in the room. He was completely folded inside his own mind now, trembling and talking to himself as if he were sleeping and having a nightmare of the worst kind.

_No..No more! Please let me go… please! Please someone help me…dear God help me. I-I didn't know. I swear! _

It stood there and continued to watch as Willie spiraled downward into despair.

_A mistake that's all. I'm sorry... please PLEASE. Don't come near me...don't please let me be, let me go. Please someone come find me! _

_Willie! WILLIE! _The Vampire was snapping at him now, yelling his name to bring Willie's attention back in focus. Willie did not respond, he continued to toss on the bed, pulling at his arms and remained oblivious to It, sweat dripping down his face.

Barnabas reached over and released Willie's arms from the bed, untying them. Willie pulled his arms down and folded them around his head, pulling himself into a tight ball against the bed frame shuddering and sobbing. _No…no please… please no more…no more…please help me…I'm scared…p-please…so scared…don't let it get dark. No please don't let it get dark again…_

It was nearly dawn and Barnabas stood watching Willie, contemplating what to do. It was obvious that he had pushed Willie to his breaking point and somehow It would need to bring him back. Willie was no good to him if he was like this. No good at all. It reached out to touch Willie on the shoulder, and with the slightest contact he screamed. Barnabas backed away and then did the only thing It could think of. It once again walked towards Willie and peeled his arm away from his head. Willie was screaming now, pushing and tugging at the bed, his blue eyes fixed open with tears streaming out of them as he stared off into the air. It pulled his arm to Its mouth and sunk deep into his veins. Willie let out a gasp and the pain once again entered his body. The Vampire sucked against his skin draining him down and Willies body started to go limp and his eyes began to fall behind his head as he sunk once again into the fog and darkness.

It stood there looking down at him once It was done. Willie lay quiet and almost lifeless having been drained more than the times before. Barnabas hoped that upon his return Willie would wake up with not only complete understanding of his position, but with acceptance. It had pushed him to the breaking point and now it was time to move forward. Barnabas turned and walked out the door, locking it behind him hoping that he hadn't taken it too far… too much time had been put into Willie, he couldn't risk finding another to do what needed to be done.

Willie tried to open his eyes but he couldn't. He felt as though he was stuck in a place between the living and the dead. He tried to move his arms but they would not respond. As he lay there helpless images of _her_ lying on the ground in the forest crept their way into his head. She then sat up and would stare directly at him with lifeless eyes and gray skin, reaching for him through the fog. _Wake up Willie! WAKE UP! _ Willie tried to force himself awake but there was still no response. He lay helpless as the fog rolled in again and swept him down into the abyss.

Hours passed and Willie once again emerged from the fog. He again tried to open his eyes, to move, but his body would not respond. Only tears rolled down his cheeks as horrific images danced around his head. This time he saw IT holding the lifeless body of the girl that IT attacked by her car. He saw Barnabas dancing with her, her body listless as he dragged her around the floor and the song _Thank the lord for the nighttime _ played in his head. As they spun around the room her face dropped to the side and looked at Willie, blood dripping from her neck, and eyes piercing into his. _Willie! WAKE THE FUCK UP! _Willie tried but again was dragged back down beneath the living.

A chill ran through his body, and Willie suddenly opened his eyes. He reached his hand up to his face and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He began to move slowly, coming out of the dark place that he had been stuck in. He licked his lip and the metallic taste of the blood that had dried there made his stomach squeeze. Slowly he sat up in the bed, looking around and wiping the tears from his cheeks. He reached back and felt behind his ear discovering the large knot that had been left there when he was thrown against the corner of the room. He slid to the side of the bed and put his feet down on the ground and tried to stand. After a minute of trying to get the room to sit still he was able to stabilize himself. He looked up and out the small window and could tell that it must be starting to get dark. His legs were shaky and he grabbed onto the bed and dresser as he made his way to the door, but before he could reach it the doorknob began to turn. Willie moved to the end of the bed and sat with his eyes firmly locked on his lap, his hands threaded through his hair. As the door opened IT appeared and Willie slowly looked up at IT and into Its eyes.

_Hello Willie…you do know what time it is don't you? Its time…time for you to go out…_


	14. Chapter 14 Life

Willie sat quietly on the edge of the bed and let his gaze drop back down to the knotted floor boards, his hands wrapped around the back of his neck gently rubbing the large knot behind his ear. His hair was matted with dried blood and he thought how badly he needed a hot shower to wash the events of the nights before off him. Barnabas stood in the doorway watching him, wondering if Willie had returned from his slip into madness the night before. Willie continued to stare downward, his breathing slow and deliberate.

_You know what you need to do Willie._

A sting rushed through Willies chest hearing the words, but he knew exactly what he needed to do. It wasn't a choice, it just was. Willie grabbed the side of the bed and stood up, never taking his eyes from the floor. As he took a step forward his leg shook and collapsed on itself, dropping him to the floor. Without a sound he again pushed himself up, using the bed to steady his balance. Barnabas reached out and grasped beneath Willies elbow to help steady him, but with Its touch Willie pulled away sharply.

_N-no…d-don't … please … don't touch me. _Willies voice was quiet but stern.

Barnabas stood looking down on him irritated with Willie's reaction and in a fierce growl that shook the room It spoke.

_Go Willie…Now!_

Willie managed to stand and get his feet stable beneath him; the drumming of his heart bringing a surge of pain to his head with every beat. He slowly lifted his head and fixed an empty gaze at IT, and without saying a word began to walk out of the room and down the hallway, using the wall to steady him. Willie got to the staircase and was thankful for the railing. He clutched the rotted wood that ran beside the steps and climbed his way down, losing his footing at the bottom and once again dropping to his knees allowing a small moan of defeat escape him. Barnabas was close behind, watching intently as Willie again dragged himself up to his feet.

_Once you have it bring it to the gardens behind the house._

Willie quietly made his way out of the house. The closest pasture to the old house was on the Collins estate about 3 miles from the gardens. He slowly walked down the driveway and to the truck, gathering a flashlight and a rope from the back. As he turned to face the house It stood in the doorway watching him move. Willie flicked the flashlight button, banging it several times against his palm to get it to turn on, and then disappeared into the woods.

Willie emerged at the edge of the pastures about an hour later. His movement was slow, the knot on his head was pounding and each step brought an ache that rang through his body. He found a calf sitting alone at the edge of the pasture fences and draped the rope around it, slowly tugging it and guiding it back through the woods, back to the gardens, back to IT.

He walked back slowly, partially because he was exhausted, but mostly because he wanted to take up as much of the nighttime as he could. The longer he was out the less time he had to spend with IT, and the less time IT had to terrorize him. Willie's thoughts drifted to the night before and to the old house and the thoughts of having to live out the rest of his life, or the rest of Barnabas' life, in complete servitude. It was a hopeless thought; one that Willie now knew was his fate with no escape.

Willie took a slow deep breath as he lingered on the outside of the gardens with the small calf. He turned to face the calf and placed his hands around it's ears as he looked at it.

_I'm sorry…so very sorry…_

Willie choked back a sob and led the calf into the gardens.

The moon was bright and cast a ghostly shadow through the gardens, a low fog rolling in through the forest. The trees looked twisted and mangled and what once was a beautiful place was now completely overgrown with vines that strangled every flower and bush that might have brought color and light into the area. A statue was placed in the center, standing crookedly on the broken cement that had weeds and grass escaping from beneath it through large cracks. Two park benches sat on either side of the garden, both rusted and partially sunk into the ground. Willie tried to imagine this place at a time when someone cared for it, when someone took the time to be interested in its beauty. He looked at the face of the statue, eyes in a blank stare, cracking from neglect. He thought that he might just hate the gardens more than he hated the house. It was nothing more than a place forgotten, a symbol of decay, just like everything else around him.

Willie was dragged out of his thoughts as the Vampire entered the garden. The low fog made it look as though IT floated in. Willie dropped the rope to the ground and stepped several feet back away from the calf. He would not look at IT, he kept his gaze fixed squarely on the ground, staring at vines and thorns that were delicately entwined around one of the overgrown rose bushes suffocating their blooms. IT walked towards Willie, and he did not move. He continued to hold still, afraid to make eye contact for fear of slipping back into the madness once again.

Barnabas stood in front of him and then snatched the rope from the ground and pulled the calf towards it. The Vampires face grew dark and the whites of Its eyes filled with a sea of blackness. It pounced on the calf dropping it to the ground and sunk Its teeth deep into its pulsing veins. The calf let out a low dark moan and Willie shuttered and choked back a hard sob that erupted from deep within his belly.

When It was done the calf lay on the ground lifeless. Barnabas walked to the edge of the garden and grabbed a shovel that IT had placed there earlier in the night. IT took the shovel and dropped it in front of the calf.

_Bury it Willie and when you are done join me in the great room._

Barnabas left him alone and walked out from the gardens; Willie was thankful for Its retreat. He bent down and picked up the shovel and standing up too quickly the moon started to spin around him causing him to lose his balance and fall down upon the drained calf. The smell of the fresh blood swept up through his nose and he rolled off of the calf and pulled himself away from it, clutching the ground and crawling away. He stood up and once again grabbed the shovel, this time standing slowly to keep his equilibrium, and he started digging. Hours seemed to pass when he finally had a hole dug deep enough. He knelt down next to the calf and pushed it into the hole. It took every bit of strength he had and he sat there on the ground staring into the grave.

Willie wasn't sure of the time or how close morning was, the moon was still high overhead so he assumed there were several hours of night left, several hours of possible horror. He patted down the last bit of dirt over the calf, stood the shovel against the back door of the house and hesitantly took a step through the door into the small room that opened into the kitchen. The moonlight dragging a dim light through the back door window. For the first time he looked around the small room. It was mostly empty, a small barren closet missing its door to one side and on the other a built in bench set into the wall. Willie looked at the bench and noticed rusted hinges on the back side; he bent down and slowly lifted up the seat of the bench revealing a small storage place. It was mostly empty, only a child's doll, a ball and some tattered old clothes lay in the bottom of it. He couldn't help but wonder about the people that had once lived in the house and then he squeezed his eyes tight, a chill running through with the sickening thought that he too now lived in the house against his will.

Willie continued through the small room into the dark kitchen, it was difficult for him to see anything, he only noticed a fireplace against the wall, but any real detail of the room was not recognizable. From the kitchen he walked through a room he could not identify, it was far too dark, but he followed a dim lite through the room into a small hallway that opened up to the great room in the front of the house. Barnabas was standing, staring out the front window and several candles were lit around the room. Willie stood in silence taking in the front room and seeing through the flickering shadows that it was in complete decay.

_Home… _Willie muttered to himself, not realizing he said it out loud. Barnabas did not turn his gaze from the window, he simply spoke to Willie in a civilized tone.

_Yes Willie, we are finally home. _

Willie's eyes began to swell with tears and in a broken voice he responded.

_I – I don't want to stay. Please don't make me stay._

Barnabas slowly turned around to look at Willie who was standing there, his blue eyes glassy in the candle lite as he dragged his hand through his hair nervously.

Barnabas walked towards Willie and pinned him up against the wall pushing Its hand directly into Willies chest keeping him in place. _You will stay. This is your home. You have nothing to say about it. _

Willie struggled beneath the Vampires hand, but he said nothing, only stared up at IT with fear swallowing him.

_Willie, I am going to go out. You will go to your room now. There is much for you to do tomorrow, you will need your rest._

Willie stood there as if he didn't understand what he was being told. He was confused, _go to bed ? _The thought of sleeping was the furthest thing from his mind. He was afraid to sleep, afraid of the nightmares and the dark.

_Bed Willie! NOW!_ It moved around Willie and from behind gripped his neck and pushed him forward through the great room towards the stair case. Willie was thrown off balance, but IT kept him on his feet pushing him forward and up the staircase.

_Barnabas please! Let go.. Please!_

It pushed him to the landing of the staircase and then down the hallway to the end of the hall back to the room that Willie was to call his own. It pushed him through the doorway and Willie stood there turned back around to face it. He wanted to run out but his body would not respond and all he could do was stare at IT as IT slowly grabbed the door and closed it behind him. Willie then heard the lock turn and panic flushed through his veins as he rushed towards the door, gripping the doorknob and trying to turn it with no success.

_No! Please don't lock me in… not again! _ Willie banged on the door and grabbed the doorknob trying to shake it loose. _Please let me out… Barnabas Please! _Willie continued to bang on the door until he could no longer stand. He leaned on the door, his cheek and hand up against the wood and slid down …_ I don't want to stay…Oh please…I don't want to stay._

Willie looked around the room and it was completely dark with the exception of a small beam of light that the moon was shining through the small window. Willie felt his way around the room, it was dark and the chill in the air cut into his bones. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the matchbook. One match left. Willie walked to the pile of candlesticks in the hopes that there was one that had a candle in it. Nothing_. _He searched the dresser; Nothing. He dare not burn a single thing in the room, but he was cold. He reached down and grabbed one of the tattered bed coverings and then felt his way towards the bed. He climbed up and wrapped the blanket around him. It smelled musty and slightly of smoke from the fire that was burned in the room the night before. He sat there on the bed trying to stay awake, afraid to sleep, but his body had other plans and Willie drifted off into a troubled sleep.

When Willie awoke he looked out the window and saw that it was morning. He looked at the door and there was a note attached to it. He rolled himself out of the bed and walked to the door, pulling the note from it.

* * *

_Willie – today you will begin work on the great room. _

_Empty it and put the furniture that is damaged into the kitchen. _

_DO NOT BURN ANYTHING!_

_Pile the garbage into the hallway, I will go through it this evening._

_Gather firewood for the fireplaces. Be sure to put some in your room._

_There is much for you to do. Do not disappoint._

_-B_

* * *

Willie read the note, he had his orders. _Do not disappoint. _He reached for the door and slowly turned the knob and it opened. Willie walked out into the hallway, the sun beamed down from the large window at the end of the hall. This is the first time he would see the house during the day.

The hallway was long and the wallpaper was peeling down from the ceiling and curling at the seams. He walked to the end of the hall close to his room and saw a door. He opened it and it lead to a staircase , the staircase was dark but he could tell that there was a staircase that led up and one that led down. He would not explore that today. He turned and walked towards the open stair case towards the front of the house. He passed a smaller room and looked in, it was filthy and he noticed that there a large pitcher and a bowl that sat on a stand. There was a cracked oval mirror that hung on the wall and another shelf with several odds and ends on, nothing of significance.

He continued down the hallway and found another room, he peered in and it looked similar to the one he had been in. A brick fireplace on the wall and a small child size bed in the corner. A dollhouse sat on a small table that was covered in cob webs. There was furniture tossed about this room just as there was in the room he had stayed in. _Hmm…a child's room_

Walking further he stopped in a room that was large, a giant wooden four poster bed in the room. A grand fireplace against the wall and large windows overlooked the front of the house. The curtains were hanging but rotted through and this room too had furniture tossed everywhere. Willie thought this room must have been for the lady and gentlemen of the house. Maybe Barnabas' room. Willie continued to walk, there was one last room towards staircase across the hall from the large room. Nothing to speak of, it was in the same level of decay as the rest of them, bits and pieces of furniture strewn around.

Willie made his way downstairs and into the great room. He flipped over one of the chairs that was toppled over, its upholstery torn and it's guts spilling out of the holes. Everything was filthy. He walked into the dark hallway that he had passed through the night before noticing a rusty metal cross hanging crookedly on the wall.

Willie wasn't an overly religious man but the enormity of his life crashed down around him and he dropped to his knees. A quiet prayer was whispered, something he hadn't done since the day he lost her_. I know I have been horrible but p-please … please let me one day feel the warmth of home again. Home like I did when I was in her arms. P-Please, please give me the strength to survive until then. I am so sorry…so sorry. _Willie shifted and pulled his knees tight to his chest. He tried to wrap his thoughts around the Vampire and that at some point IT had been a man. He tried to think that perhaps there was some humanity left in him, but the cruelty he had experienced told him otherwise.

Barnabas Collins, once a man, was now a monster and he was Its prisoner.

Willie's new life had begun.

**A/N: Well that is it for this story. Thanks so much for reading and the kind reviews. I have already started the second story and will post it soon, hope to see you all there. **


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